Once in a Lifetime
by Elaine27
Summary: V-Day had come and gone in a blur, leaving the world in pieces. Merlin, Eggsy and Roxy just sat in the seats of the plane flying back to HQ, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Now that all the adrenaline had left Eggsy's body and the events of the past two days had finally caught up with him, he felt hollow. [Merlin, Eggsy, Roxy, Lancelot, Percival, Harry Hart, OCs]
1. Dawn of a New Day

A/N: As always, huge thanks to my beta 'ivefoundmygoldfish(melonpanparade)'! And I refer to Merlin as 'wizard' a few times (because of obvious reasons), just so you know ;)

* * *

 _"Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."_ \- Oscar Wilde

 **Dawn of a New Day**

The quietness that enveloped the plane was both relieving and unnerving at the same time. After the chaos of V-Day, trusting the calm felt somehow wrong and Eggsy couldn't help but expect another threat to arise at every moment.

But unexpectedly, nothing had occurred when Merlin landed to pick up Roxy, nor did anything else happen after that. The three of them just sat in the seats of the plane flying on autopilot, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Merlin and Eggsy hadn't really exchanged a word since leaving the base – that now resembled a massacre – to the local authorities and the fact that Roxy hadn't really said anything either only added to the heavy silence.

From the moment on Eggsy had exposed Arthur's intentions, his body had been running on adrenaline. To save the world and stop Valentine had been the most important thing on his mind, had kept him from thinking about anything else. He'd focused only on the danger, concentrating all his energy on taking out one guard after another.

Now that all the adrenaline had left his body and the events of the past two days had finally caught up with him – both physically and mentally – Eggsy felt hollow. His mentor, the one man he'd started to think of as a father figure, was dead. And even though he'd killed the man who'd pulled the trigger, Eggsy felt no sense of relief. Instead, grief made his vision blurry and he was overcome by nauseousness. All of a sudden, he found himself feeling such intense loneliness that it came as a surprise to hear Roxy's voice.

"What will happen now?"

Eggsy looked up to meet her gaze. She sat opposite him, wrapped in a navy blue jumper far too big for her size, looking frightingly fragile. Eggsy wondered if she felt just as lost as he.

He shrugged and they both turned to Merlin. The older agent was sitting on Roxy's side on the other side of the plane. The pilot jacket had been discarded long ago, revealing a rumpled white shirt beneath. His face was turned away from them to stare out the window, but Eggsy was able to see the sadness in his eyes nonetheless. It frightened him beyond anything else. Yet, he felt comforted knowing someone else shared his grief. And he wondered, not for the first time, just how close the two Kingsman agents had been.

"Merlin?" Roxy asked softly, shaking the wizard out of his thoughts. "What are we going to do now?"

"What needs doing," Merlin answered flatly, causing Eggsy and Roxy to share a concerned look. Then, after a few seconds, he sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly before facing them. "You two did very well today. You've both shown loyalty and bravery worthy of a Kingsman and" looking at Eggsy, he added, "I think you've earned the right to be one. Although I can't decide that on my own, of course."

Eggsy nodded, relieved he probably wouldn't be kicked out as soon as they landed. He didn't think it was possible to leave Kingsman behind after all that had aspired. "But what will happen now that Arthur is dead?"

"We will fly back to HQ and try contact all the agents, see who's still alive. I tried warning whom I could after Valentine's plans had become clear, but I was only able to send a warning to our outposts and reach Morgana."

"Who's Morgana?" Eggsy knew the code names of the ten active agents sitting around the table, but he'd never heard of Morgana before. During his training at HQ the mansion had been surprisingly empty. Only a handful of people – Harry had referred to them as stationed scientists and technicians – had crossed his path in the hallways.

"She's the head of the medical department. Her position is similar to mine; while I coordinate the technical research in our outposts abroad, she commands the medical staff that takes care of the agents on their missions. Morgana's usually one of the few people who stay at HQ, but Kay's and Bedivere's mission in Germany went south and she followed them. She left only an hour before us."

If Merlin had warned Morgana, there was a high chance she'd told Kay and Bedivere to prepare for V-Day. However, with Roxy here and Galahad and Arthur both gone they still didn't know what happened to Percival, Tristan, Bors, Gawain and Lamorak.

Eggsy frowned, trying to remember if Harry had mentioned any of their missions. "Do we know where the rest of the agents were heading?"

Merlin shook his head. "I didn't monitor their missions. Normally, I'm informed where they are and briefed regularly, but I guess Arthur kept me in the dark on purpose. We don't know how long he'd been working on Valentine's side and if he used the agents to fulfill his goals."

A dark thought crossed Eggsy's mind at that. "He could have sent them on death missions for all we know. He knew they probably wouldn't betray Kingsman, so he tried getting rid of them instead."

Roxy suddenly turned very pale, her hands clutching desperately at the fabric of her jumper. "Percy," she whispered, turning to Merlin with a terrified look. "You said you couldn't warn him. What if – "

Reaching over to lay a hand on her arm soothingly, Eggsy looked at Merlin for an explanation. He knew Roxy was very close to her mentor and could comprehend her fear.

"Ever since the previous Lancelot's death we tried to locate his body, without much success. However, shortly before your last test we heard rumors of his whereabouts and Percival immediately volunteered to go." He stopped for a moment, rubbing his forehead with three fingers of his right hand.

"I advised Arthur to send someone else, partly because the mission proved to be very dangerous and I wasn't sure Percival was in the emotional condition to be aware of the risks involved. But Arthur declined my objections, probably hoping he'd run into trouble."

They remained silent for a moment. Merlin's explanation confirmed Eggsy's suspicion that Percival and the previous Lancelot had been more than just colleagues. Judging from Roxy's reaction she knew about her mentor's feelings, but he felt now wasn't the time to ask for further information.

"I texted him after I passed the test. He was already on the plane to Tehran," Roxy declared absently. Although obviously still worried sick, she was returning to her confident self, determined to do whatever was necessary to help resolve the situation.

"Iran," Merlin added upon seeing Eggsy's questioning look. "We've been monitoring the activities of a terrorist group dealing with heavy weaponry in the Middle East for several months and were able to infiltrate the organisation a week ago. We think Valentine might have hired them to find out who Lancelot was working for."

Eggsy could see why Roxy feared for her mentor's well being. Solo missions were always risky, especially when the opponent was as dangerous as a fully armed and trained group of terrorists. He only hoped Percival didn't run into a trap while being too distracted by his task. Although cold and distant, he'd liked the overcorrect agent with the glasses, not least because of the friend Eggsy had found in his candidate.

"So we'll find him and the others when we're back at HQ," Eggsy stated. He looked at Roxy reassuringly, not saying 'we'll try' but 'we will' on purpose. She smiled at him in response, thankful for the encouragement.

Merlin stood and crossed the space to the computer desk, conjuring one of the familiar Kingsman tablets from one of the drawers. He handed it to Roxy while motioning Eggsy to sit beside her.

"I can't do much from the plane since the mission files can only be accessed and downloaded from one of the Kingsman servers. But the two of you can try to find out the situation on the ground. Who knows in what state Valentine has left this world."

The emotional conflict Eggsy had witnessed on the quartermaster's face earlier was gone, overshadowed by the conviction to deal with the mess at hand. Instead, Merlin turned to the cockpit with a determined look in his eyes and a set jaw.

"I'll take over the plane again. We should be at HQ in no time."

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The jumper Roxy wears is one of James' which she took with her to HQ after his death.

I have the first five chapters written out, so I should be able to update regularly. I'm planning to publish every three to four days, depending on my time schedule...


	2. Coming Home

**A/N:** You should all thank 'ivefoundmygoldfish(melonpanparade)' for correcting my many mistakes!This would be unreadable without her...THANKS FOR BEING SO FAST!

WARNING: Graphic Depictions of Violence 

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**Coming Home**

To their surprise Tristan greeted them in the plane cargo. The dark-haired agent looked tired, his suit battered and dirty, but not much worse for wear. The only traces of V-Day were a few bruises on his arm and a cleaned cut on his forehead.

"Tristan!" Merlin greeted the older agent, clearly relieved to see him. "You made it back!"

"Well, I found myself in Dublin amidst dead and wounded people with no idea what had happened, but a very clear memory of the fight that had broken out. Thought it might be a good idea to return to England as soon as possible." Pointing over his shoulder with his right hand, he added, "You do realise there's a dead Arthur sprawled over the table in the dining room at the shop, don't you?"

Merlin grimaced. "Ah, that. I'm afraid the King has been overthrown after having sided with the enemy."

Tristan just raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Never liked that man anyway."

Behind Merlin, Eggsy and Roxy alighted from the plane, carrying cases containing weaponry and the suit Roxy had used to destroy the satellite. They came to a halt beside the wizard, flanking him from both sides. "Ah, the new Lancelot." Tristan smiled, laying a hand on Roxy's shoulder in a congratulations. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last. Though the circumstances are less than good."

Roxy acknowledged him with a nod and Tristan turned to Eggsy. "And you must be Eggsy. Galahad has been speaking very highly of you."

Pain coursed through Eggsy at the mention of Harry's name and he blinked twice to keep his emotions in check. The knight must have noticed the change in the mood, because he shifted his attention to look at Merlin sympathetically. "Speaking of which, I was very distraught to hear about Kentucky. I hope you're holding up well."

"I'm fine," Merlin answered, a bit too fast. "Let's get inside so we can update you on what happened."

"Yes, please." Eggsy could swear he saw Tristan perk up at that. "I have a feeling this is going to be a very interesting story."

~oOo~

The feeling of cold water splashing on his face was the first thing he was aware of upon returning to his senses. Seconds later, pain ripped through his body, strong enough to nearly make him pass out again. He bit down on his lip and drew blood while trying to stifle the urge to scream, not willing to give whoever was holding the bucket the pleasure to witness his agony.

Judging by the pressure on his wrists he guessed they were tied behind his back in a very uncomfortable manner. He was also unable to move his feet which meant they were probably tied to the chair as well. He tried opening his eyes and regretted it immediately, the harsh light making his eyes water.

His eyes snapped open, however, when a hand slapped him hard across his face. He blinked and an ugly face came into focus, coated in with what looked like a mixture of blood, sweat, and dirt. A cruel smile played along the man's lips.

"Wakey, wakey," the man with the ugly face rasped. "You've slept long enough, it's time you answer some questions."

He reached out to run a finger down the middle of his victim's face, grinning at the pain it obviously caused his him. "What a lovely scar you have their," the ugly man sneered, tugging at the torn fabric of the prisoner's shirt to get a look at his chest. "Someone must have had skill to get it this straight. And it seems to cross your chest as well. What did you do to make someone so angry they tried to cut you in half, he?"

Still too dazed from the painful ache of his body, he didn't respond. As a result, he was immediately met by a fist connecting with his jaw. He spit blood and doubled over, willing his lungs to suck in air through all the blood and spit in his throat.

The man hovering above him made no move to help the violently coughing victim to his feet. Instead he gestured to another figure lurking in the dark corner of the empty room that wasn't lit by the dirty lightbulb hanging from the damp ceiling. The figure stood, took a long object from a wooden table – the only other piece of furniture in the room – and handed it over. As he stepped into the dim light, a long scar that ran from his left eye to his hairline became visible.

The ugly man accepted the piece of metal and weighed the iron bar in his hands. Satisfied, he turned back to the chair with a smile that made the prisoner's blood run cold. "Now then," he spit out. "We'll start easy. What's your name?"

As if the sight of the bar wasn't enough to prove the seriousness of the question, he then made use of it. The noise of metal crushing bone echoed through the room, followed by the owner's cry of pain.

Without a name, without any idea who he was or how he'd landed himself in this situation, he endured hit after hit. Nothing hurt in comparison to the longing in his heart he couldn't place, the certainty that he'd forgotten something very vital, something more important than life itself. He slipped into unconsciousness, a pair of glasses and a blonde ponitail being the last thing he thought of.

~oOo~

"Quite an adventure you had there," Tristan remarked, sounding as if he was congratulating someone on a well played adventure game. Eggsy imagined he treated missions in the same way, like an overgrown child who enjoyed playing Hide & Seek in the woods.

They were gathered in Central around Merlin's work station. While Eggsy and Roxy had told Tristan about Valentine's SIM-cards and how they thwarted his plans, Merlin had contacted the foreign offices to get an impression of the world's condition. Apparently, it had quite literally gone to shit in one single day. Lots of people were dead or wounded and the governments and economies were shattered. Communication and traffic were still partly down as well, but it seemed people were trying their best to return to their normal lives.

Eggsy was standing up, leaning against the desk with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "I won't deny having had a bit of fun, but we ought to do more than that. This world ain't gonna rebalance itself without help. Loads of bad people are going to take advantage of the chaos and try use it for their own benefits."

Merlin looked up from where he was sitting at his desk, swivelling around in his chair to face the three of them. "Yes, of course, but I'm afraid we'll have to reorganise ourselves first before we are anywhere near able to assist in rebuilding. We may be four agents, but I dare say all of us are nearly slumping over in our seats..."

As if on clue, Eggsy yawned widely. He felt exhaustion creeping into his bones and lulling his thoughts. After all, they hadn't even had minute's rest since the dog test, a bit over 24 hours ago.

"Well, I'm fine," Tristan interjected brightly. "Took a nap on the flight back from Dublin."

"You said four agents…" Eggsy remarked, looking at Merlin. He was a bit nervous now that Tristan was present and could easily smash his hope of becoming an official agent.

"You've proven yourself worthy of becoming a Kingsman. I see no reason to test you again, but as I said, I can't decide upon your fate on my own, of course."

"Actually, I think you can," Tristan argued, grinning at Merlin like a child who had found the hidden cookie jar. "As quartermaster – and the only person capable of handling a handful of overactive spies – it is only logical that you take command until a new Arthur is selected."

Seeing the uncertainity on the wizard's doubtful face, Roxy nudged Eggsy and nodded in agreement. "Tristan's right."

"No one's better suited than you," Eggsy added, rubbing his shoulder absently. Roxy had to bite back a smirk; he could be such a softie sometimes.

"Fantastic," Tristan proclaimed, slapping one large hand on Eggsy's shoulder. He sobered up, though, before continuing in a much softer voice "Welcome to Kingsman, Galahad."

Eggsy swallowed hard, but didn't comment. It was only logical that he'd take Harry's position, regardless of his personal feelings. And he was determined to make himself deserving of the title, to make Harry proud.

Except for the way Merlin frooze for a second, he concealed his feelings remarkable well. His voice was cold, though, as he once again looked at Eggsy and Roxy. "Well then, my first act will be to send you two home to catch some much needed rest."

"But – " Roxy and Eggsy both protested.

"No buts. You ought to check on your mum and sister, Eggsy. And you, Lancelot, have earned a break as well. Go home, take a nap, and rest your head. I'll meet you back here tomorrow morning."

The two young agents still didn't look too pleased, but Merlin would have none of it.

"Understood?"

They nodded reluctantly and left the room grudgingly.

Tristan followed the two young spies with his eyes, feeling the slightest bit of sympathy. They resembled their mentors a lot more than they thought, both in character and mentality. A deep chuckle escaped his chest at the thought. Remembering where he stood, he turned again to give his colleague a thorough look-over.

"You should get some rest yourself, Merlin."

"I'm fine." Funny, he'd said that once already and it still sounded ridiculous.

"Look, quite a lot has happened, especially Galahad's – "

"I said I'm fine!"

"Bottling this up won't help, you know." Tristan was losing patience. He knew the wizard could be bloody stubborn, but this was ridiculous.

"I'm not bottling anything up!" Merlin had raised his voice and was hitting the keyboard keys with far more force than necessary.

Tristan sighed, moving to stand beside his friend and laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I know you don't want to hear it, but we've done what we can for now. When was the last time you had a shower?" He didn't wait for an answer; the wizards longing face was confirmation enough.

"Let me stay here and I'll overlook the progress. As soon as I here from either Gawain, Lamorak or Bors I'll contact you."

Merlin knew the older agent was right. This was a one-man job after all. They couldn't work properly before the networks and traffic were back up anyway. Any attempt to search for the missing agents or even assist them would be more wasteful than useful. All they could do now was slowly locate the Kingsman employees and hope they were still alive.

Merlin stood up, defeated by his own arguments. Thanking the other agent – who'd already made himself comfortable in his chair – with a grateful nod he crossed the distance to the door. His rumpled form had almost disappeared out of sight when the wizard suddenly halted midstep on the threshold. "Someone has to go to Kentucky to collect the body…" he whispered, not meeting Tristan's eye.

"I'll arrange a flight and take care it. I'll go personally, if that's alright with you..."

"Yes." After a small pause he added, "Thank you, Tristan," and then disappeared.


	3. Planning Stage

**A/N:** Thanks again to 'ivefoundmygoldfish(melonpanparade)' for being such an awesome person and beta!

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 **Planning Stage**

For the first time since she started training for the position of Lancelot, Roxy entered the small, comfortable cottage of her childhood. Just like every other candidate before, she'd shared a room with her fellow trainees at HQ the past few months and had been too busy to return. Percival hadn't been home much either, so she hadn't seen the need to visit.

The door closed behind her with a soft click and Roxy slipped out of her shoes before entering the dark living room. A quick glance at the clock above the kitchen door told her it was shortly before midnight. She'd taken the train instead of the Kingsman shuttle to clear her head and it was later than she expected. Keeping the light switched off, she ascended the stairs guided only by the moonlight filtering in through the windows. She stopped in front of the first door, reached out to touch the door handle, yet froze before she could enter the master bedroom.

When she'd last been here, Roxy had just flown back from St. Andrew's in a hurry after receiving an urgent call from Merlin. Nothing, however, had prepared her for what awaited her at home. She'd found her brother lying on the carpet beside the bed, still wearing his suit and clutching one of James' shirts. After she'd woken him and guided him to the couch in the dining room, he'd told her of James' death and she'd cried in his arms; had mourned for the man who'd been so much like a father for her since he popped into her life when she was only six years old. He was one of the two people she looked up to, and the one with whom she'd gotten into all kind of trouble.

She let go of the handle hastily and turned towards her old room instead.

After changing into more comfortable clothes, Roxy collapsed onto the mattress and quickly piled pillows and blankets around her.

Once she'd snuggled into her fortress she closed her eyes and breathed in the familiar scent of the room, feeling oddly safe and yet lost. No matter how old she was, the knowledge that she'd never again cross the hallway after a nightmare and slip between the two people lying side by side in the dark of the opposite room followed her into sleep and haunted her dreams.

~oOo~

Blood. Everywhere. It smeared his hands and coated his suit. He couldn't tell whether any of the bodies piling between the banks and lying slumped against the walls were still alive, wasn't even sure if he himself was dead.

He stumbled over the corpses, looking up, only to meet the barrel of a raised gun, the finger pushing the trigger to release the bullet. Coming closer. Coming straight for his face.

Eggsy screamed — an unnatural high pitched sound that echoed of the walls and still rang in his ears when he opened his eyes. He hastily searched for the switch of the light on his nightstand with his right hand and was met with the familiar setting of his bedroom when it clicked.

He buried his face in his hands and tried to chase the image of Harry - lying on the asphalt with a hole in his head - out of his mind. Once his breathing had slowed down a little, Eggsy slowly lay down again. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't go back to sleep. And so he stared at the ceiling instead, waiting for the sun to rise.

~oOo~

Not having slept well, but feeling a lot better after taking a hot shower, Roxy set out breakfast at the table in the kitchen. The fridge didn't contain much, but she'd been able to locate some marmalade and grab some frozen bread out of the freezer. While she waited for it to thaw, Roxy went through the mail which had piled up since Percy had left. She also watered the few plants that had survived the regular absence of their owner.

This time she only hesitated briefly before entering the master bedroom to check on the cactus standing on the windowsill. Not having much need for water, it was in a much better shape than every other plant in the house. Before Roxy could turn around to leave the room, a familiar looking pair of glasses caught her attention and she scooped it up from where it rested on top of the wardrobe.

She recognised them immediately as James' Kingsman glasses, because they weren't designed to correct any visual defects, but to create a link between the agent and HQ.

James had always refused to wear them and insisted they looked ridiculous on him. After a few heated arguments Merlin had eventually given in and come up with a special button instead, and although not as efficient, it was able to transmit visual and audio data.

She fondly traced the frame with her right index finger and held the glasses at arm's length to look through them. Before Roxy could change her mind she put on the glasses, wrinkling her nose at the unfamiliar weight.

She closed the bedroom door behind her and returned to the kitchen to eat some of the bread left out earlier. It was still cold, frozen in places, even, but that didn't dampen her mood. Roxy left the house feeling a lot more like herself than when she'd come back from the V-Day mission. It seemed James had passed on some of his never faltering optimism - that had amused and annoyed everyone to no end – through his glasses to her, liftin a heavy weight off her shoulders.

~oOo~

"I'm glad you and Daisy are coming, Mum. Everything will be okay now, I promise." Eggsy was relieved he'd confronted Dean last evening. It had felt more than good to finally teach him and his abusive friends a lesson, although it probably hadn't been very gentleman-like. But he'd learned from the best after all.

Sitting beside him at the kitchen table was Daisy, and he leaned over to smile at her lovingly. There was no way he'd let anyone harm his family, especially not after he'd just lost someone so close to him. One more day and his mum and baby sister would be living in a proper home, without having to fear Dean's anger ever again.

Eggsy had texted Tristan last night after the fight in the bar to cover up his tracks and the older agent had immediately agreed to assign him one of the Kingsman houses. The keys would be given to his mum once he was back at HQ, and hopefully they would be able to move in soon after. In the meantime, Eggsy was more than confident Dean wouldn't dare send someone, seeing as he was still nursing a head injury in the hospital.

His mum beamed at him happily. "You'll follow us in a bit, won't you?"

"Of course, just have to go to the shop today," Eggsy answered, rising to put his plate into the dishwasher. He highly doubted his mother believed he was a tailor and was determined to tell her the truth soon, but for now — until everything had settled down, at least — he would have to stick to his cover story. For both their sakes.

"But don't worry, there're people looking out for you."

Giving his sister a quick kiss on the head — to which she responded with an excited squeal — and his mother a tight hug, Eggsy said his goodbyes and prepared to leave for HQ.

"I'll be back before you miss me."

~oOo~

This time, Roxy decided to take the Kingsman tube as well and she entered the shop to find Eggsy waiting for her in the dressing room with the elevator.

He greeted her with a hug and grinned sheepishly. "Nice glasses, Rox."

She smiled in response, but didn't reply, knowing this wasn't the right time for explanations.

After a ride spent in comfortable silence, they arrived at the mansion and walked straight to Central where both Tristan and Merlin were already waiting. While Tristan was his usual cheerful self, it was obvious Merlin hadn't rested for long. There were still dark patches under his eyes, but at least he seemed to have taken a shower and slipped on fresh clothing.

"Good morning, you two," Tristan chirped, standing behind Merlin whose eyes were fixed on the huge computer screen.

"Morning," Eggsy responded, nodding towards the quartermaster. "Anything we missed?"

"I was able get in touch with Bors and Lamorak who'd been laying low in India."

"Have they been injured?" Roxy cut in worriedly.

"Just a few bruises, but nothing too serious," Tristan answered. "Bors is flying to Australia right now to seek out Gawain, and Lamorak has gone searching for Percival in Iran."

Although not completely reassured, a Kingsman agent helping to locate Percy seemed to help comfort Roxy a bit.

"Morgana has reported back as well," Merlin said, opening a map on the screen. "And she's got some interesting news."

That awoke the two young agents' curiosity and they moved to stand beside Tristan. Looking over Merlin's shoulder, Eggsy saw a map of Berlin and what appeared to be the website of a scientific institute.

"Turns out Kay and Bedivere were spying on a corrupt firm that produces and tests new chemical and biological weapons. If the rumours are true, they've developed a highly dangerous neurotoxin and intend to use it to decrease the world's population by approximately 50%."

"What, again?" Eggsy asked incredulously. What was up with all the villains? What had happened to the classic striving for world domination?

"Why haven't Kay and Bedivere taken them down, yet?" Roxy asked with a frown. If a threat like this existed, surely the two agents would have acted without hesitation. It also didn't explain why Morgana had been called in as reinforcement.

"Whoever they are, they are not operating on their own. Their intel is far too detailed for a small firm like them and they don't have the means to spread the toxin. Furthermore, they appear to have knowledge about Kingsman," Merlin explained. "A week after Kay and Bedivere arrived in Berlin and started their investigation, several of the Kingsman employees in Germany were poisoned. Because another attack was very likely, Morgana left to help minimalise further damage and give medical advice."

"Forgive my bluntness, but I don't see how we can help them."

Merlin smiled at her and although it was still weak, Roxy counted it as a success. "You're right. We can't directly, but they have been able to hack into their system and steal a few files. You two will search them for any reliable information we can use."

The two young agents nodded, glad they would have something to do. Even if it wasn't a real mission.

"Good." Merlin handed them a stack of files and a tablet. "You can go to the library. I'll talk to the rest of the Kingsman employees while you're working. They have reported back and deserve an explanation, so don't let yourself get distracted by them running around the mansion."

Eggsy was about to ask how many people actually worked here, but thought better of it. Judging from the many laboratories and the fact that Merlin couldn't be handler for all missions, Kingsman had more employees than he'd guessed.

"And I'm leaving for Kentucky in a few minutes," Tristan added gravely, not looking any of them in the eye. They all knew what he would be doing. Eggsy wondered briefly if there would be a funeral, and if so, how many people would turn up. The thought that all the attendees were most likely in this room saddened him, and for a second he wished Tristan wouldn't go. If they didn't collect his body, Eggsy could pretend Harry was still alive, living somewhere in the States, oblivious to his former life. What a selfish, pointless hope.

* * *

Thanks to all the lovely people who stick with me and this story!  
For those who asked about Percival: He will appear in the fifth chapter, so don't worry ;)


	4. Revelations

**Revelations**

"Why are we doing this on paper again? Last I checked Kingsman had the newest technology this world has to offer." Eggsy threw the file he'd been flipping through down in exasperation. They had been at it for hours and all they'd come up with was a sparse list of possible locations of warehouses, previous meeting places and snippets of names. But nothing valid that was worth checking out immediately.

"It's easier to handle that way. It also makes it harder for someone who might be trying to monitor our movements while Kingsman's still vulnerable. And the servers still aren't fully back online, yet."

She had made herself comfortable in one of the sofas, feet propped up on the armrest of Eggsy's matching one. A stack of files set neatly beside her on a long mahagony table. The file she was currently reading lay open on her lap and she only moved her hands to turn the pages or to slide the glasses back up her nose now and then. They were barely a tiny bit too large.

"I didn't know you needed glasses." He'd seen her train without any visual aid and was, therefore, surprised. Not that it didn't suit her, but still.

Roxy didn't look up. "I don't. But they come in handy on missions, as you might have noticed."

A bit taken aback by her cold reaction, Eggsy quickly continued. "Yeah I know, I just ... we're not actually in the field right now, so I was surprised. That's all."

Roxy sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just a bit tense."

Eggsy had noticed that. It was obvious in the way her eyes found the tablet every few minutes, presumably to check if Lamorak had reported back.

"No news from Percy, yet?" he asked, giving her an opportunity to talk about it. They hadn't really shared a longer conversation since the end of training and Eggsy felt it would do both of them good.

Roxy shook her head, her brows knitted in silent worry. "Lamorak is scheduled to land in half an hour. I know there's no point hoping to hear anything before that, but I can't help myself."

He affectionately patted her foot resting beside his arm, boots long forgotten on the floor. He knew what it was like to be truly worried over someone. It drained your strength, made you feel vulnerable and - worst of all - incredibly helpless if there was nothing you could do, but wait. And hope.

"If you need someone to confide in, I'm here, okay."

He had closed his file and looked at her seriously. Roxy mimicked him and returned his gaze, smiling faintly. The library with its millions of books carefully lined up on the shelves suddenly wasn't as suffocating anymore.

"I never asked you how you were," she stated, not answering his silent question. "I know he meant a lot to you. And it may not help you or change anything - and mind you, it will definitely not bring him back - but I'm convinced, I know that you meant a lot to him, too."

She could see the raw emotion in his eyes, the pain and desperation. It reminded her painfully of her own loss and the never healing wound it had left. "Hold on to that knowledge, Eggsy. It will make you strong. Although you may not believe it, yet."

Unable to think of anything to say, Eggsy simply nodded, his jaw clenched tightly in an effort to keep his emotions in check.

"Saying 'I'm sorry' felt cheap," Roxy added. "A hollow statement, a lie, an excuse to not have to meet your eye." She took a shaky breath and looked away from him. After a few seconds of silence she whispered, "I've heard it too many times myself."

"You're talking about the previous Lancelot." It wasn't so much a question as a realisation. His friend's face darkened and for a brief moment, Eggsy regretted bringing it up.

"Yes." She watched him thoughtfully. "I think it's time I told you a few things about me."

She paused to consider how to begin and Eggsy waited patiently, knowing interrupting Roxy would only distract her. There was no reason to reassure her that it was okay if she didn't confide in him, she knew that. They had grown close friends during their training and he loved her like a sister.

"First of all," Roxy began. "You should know that Percival isn't only my mentor, but also my brother. When I was very young - just about five years old - he took me to his house to raise me by himself. Why and what happened to my - our - parents is something Percy has told even me very little about."

She halted in her narration, starring at the bookshelf opposite her. "The previous Lancelot - James Spencer - joined Kingsman 17 years ago. Against all odds, my brother and he became friends. And after a year or so, their strong friendship turned into love."

Roxy took off her glasses to have something to occupy her hands. She spinned them between her fingers, distracted by the reflected light. "James moved in with Percy and me when I was about six, constantly present in my life from then on. If I've ever had something close to parents, if I would ever get asked who I'd see as such, they would be my two dads."

She was right, Eggsy noted. Saying 'I'm sorry' seemed pathetic, such a weak attempt to try lessen the other's pain. So, instead, he continued patting her foot.

Roxy let out a huff. "We are a true mess, aren't we?"

"Yeah." He wasn't sure why, but Eggsy smiled. He felt a lot better having Roxy here with him. Having her understanding and comfort and not just her pitty made all the difference in the world.

"You know what?" He straightened, closing the file on his lap with a dull thud. "You stay here and I'll get us something to cheer us up, to get the endorphins rolling ..."

A bemused look on her face, Roxy was about to ask him where he was going and if he'd really just said 'endorphins' - who knew Eggsy had such medical knowledge - , but Eggsy had already bolted out of the room.

~oOo~

Voices, unknown and unimportant. They came from far away, penetrating the fog that surrounded him.

They were shouting, violently tearing through his brain, trying to reach his mind and conquer his thoughts. With every word pain cursed through his already hurting and bleeding body, digging deeper, destroying him from the inside.

You will tell us everything you know, they said. You will obey us. You will succumb to us. You will help us. You will do everything to destroy them. Everyone you know and love, you will tear apart.

They were insisting, didn't stop talking. Minutes, hours, days. Months. He didn't know how long. All he wanted was to sleep, to fade. Maybe if he gave in, he would be able to rest. What was the worst that could happen? What was worse than this? All he needed to do was let go, let them win.

No.

He screamed. Not knowing if just in his head or actually aloud. Never.

He woke with a start, again met by the ugly face of the man who'd flashed water in his face earlier.

His throat hurt like hell. And from the look on his opponants face he guessed he'd been screaming in his sleep. He now remembered vaguely what had transpired before he'd first woken up. The torture, the fruitless attempts to break his will. Someone had gone though quite a lot to turn him into an assassin, but he still had no idea why. Just as he couldn't recall anything before he first ended up in this room. Or who he was, for that matter.

His head still hurt like it was split in two, though. And he wondered how long he'd been held captive. He must look like hell if the smell of his clothes was any indication.

"Now," the man spoke, patting his swollen cheek to get his attention. "It seems like they have done a very thorough job trying to break you."

He blinked up at his captor, clearly confused. If the man wasn't with the people who'd tortured him in the first place, why was he here now? And what did he want?

"But I don't care what they wanted you to do. I'm only interested in the information you clearly hold. And if you can't remember it, I'll make sure you do soon."


	5. Rising Tide

**Rising Tide**

The screeching of wheels on asphalt and an agonising pain searing through his lower abdomen jolted Percival awake. Once he forced his eyes open, it didn't take long for him to realise he was being held captive inside a van. It was almost pitch black, so the ropes tying his hands to the rail above his head were hardly visible. Still, Percival could feel them chafing against his wrists. With great effort, he tried to sit up by pulling himself up on the rope but failed, his body too weak. Instead, his head hit the side of the vehicle with a loud thump. Percy hissed, barely able to stifle a moan.

The movement caused the pain in his abdomen to grow worse, and it was becoming unbearable. He only had to crane his neck to find its source. Blood drenched the front of his shirt, staining the white fabric. His suit jacket was nowhere to be seen and his pants were ripped in several places. Percival frowned, wondering briefly what had happened before remembering his mission to Tehran.

The flight had gone smoothly and he'd moved into the safe house rented by Kingsman soon after he landed. His grief, however, and foolish hope that he would find evidence to support even the smallest sliver of doubt concerning James' death had made him careless. Only a few hours after his arrival Percy had discarded his original plan to meet with their contact, instead choosing to pay the cover organisation of the terrorist group a visit. They used a tall building near the city center as an operation base, disguising their real business as a marketing firm.

He had never made it past the entrance hall.

All he remembered was the need to kill, the urge to destroy everything in his path. Old and young, male and female, he'd all slaughtered them with a satisfaction that made him sick.

Thanks to his training he'd stayed standing for a long time. His luck, however, had run out when one of the terrorist had buried a knife somewhere near his kidneys and he realised he must have lost consciousness soon after.

It didn't take a great detective to assume the van he was in now belonged to the very people whose attention he had wanted to avoid. The thought that he himself might be in danger, however, only crossed his mind briefly. Instead, the fear that threatened to rule his head was directed at Roxy and how she might have been affected by the recent events. Whatever it was that had caused everyone to go crazy had most likely been Valentine's doing and not only restricted to Tehran. The possibility that Roxy might not have survived was unbearable and Percy quickly stopped himself from venturing down that train of thought. He couldn't lose the only person left he felt truly connected to. It would tear him apart.

Percival was ripped out of his thoughts by the van's sudden halt, forcing him to lean toward the driver cabin. He was aware of another vehicle stopping behind him, probably waiting at a traffic light, and the shouting of an angry pedestrian crossing the street.

It wasn't what the man said that made him look up, but the language he spoke in. It was clearly Russian, though accompanied by the sort of accent only encountered outside Russia itself. If Percy's memory was reliable - and it seldom let him down - they were driving through Kazakhstan, probably heading towards Russia.

It was an unsettling revelation at best. Mostly because it meant that whoever went to search for him - if Kingsman was still operable of course, but he didn't dare doubt that - would have no chance to find him. If he wanted to get out of this mess, Percy would have to free himself or at least leave Kingsman a clue.

With his hands tied above his head, his options to activate his glasses were limited. After a few failed attempts and quite a few muffled grunts of pain, Percy managed to get hold of his specs with the tips of his right hand. But the complex movement had left him even more exhausted and increased the pain in his gut to the point where he had to fight not to slip into unconsciousness again.

Willing himself to stay focused, Percy slowly tapped the side of the specs rhythmically. He was strongly aware of the fact that it was probably a shot in the dark, but he knew the normal communication device built into the frame had been broken during the fight in Tehran. The chance that someone would stumble upon or even be able to decrypt his message was unlikely at best.

Nonetheless, Percy proceeded tapping, trying not to think too hard about what he was doing. It brought back painful memories of mission and fights carried out together with Lancelot that did nothing to strengthen his will to oppose whatever awaited him once they reached their final destination.

It was a good thing he'd hurried, because he'd barely been able to send the primary information when the rear doors opened and a man entered the van. Percy, blinded by the sudden light and experiencing blurred vision, could do little to keep the man from crashing his glasses beneath his boot. Instead, he almost welcomed the punch knocking him unconscious, relieved to be free of pain for the time being.

~oOo~

"Hmmm," Roxy hummed into her cup of hot chocolate. "This is delicious."

As it turned out, Eggsy had stumbled upon hot chocolate powder while he'd searched the kitchen of the mansion for a snack during training.

Remembering its exquisite flavor, he'd run off to fix them both a cup and even put some crème on top. Roxy, having picked up her chocolate addiction from James, had almost squealed at the sight.

They sat in comfortable silence side by side on the dark couch in the library, the files lying forgotten on the sofas and table nearby. The dark liquid warmed them from the inside, washing away part of their sorrow. Roxy closed her eyes, remembering sleepless nights when James had brought her chocolate and let her cuddle with him. It had been his way to cheer her up when she was sad or worried sick that Percy wouldn't return.

Once she'd drained every last drop, Roxy licked her lips. But instead of cleaning the brown liquid from her face, she only succeeded in smearing it further, causing Eggsy to burst out laughing. In return, Roxy dipped her finger into his cup and left white crème on his nose before he could stop her.

"You're impossible." Eggsy laughed, wiping it away with the back of his hand.

Still grinning, Roxy extended one arm to safely put the empty cup on the table. But before she reached the edge, she froze, her hand lost in midair.

For a terrible moment, everything seemed to stand still, then, a fraction of a second later, the cup slipped from her grip and fell. If not for Eggsy's quick reflexes it would have shattered on the wooden floor of the library, smashed into hundreds of shards.

But Eggsy caught it and, still leaning forward, turned his head to look at his friend with worry. Her face was as white as a sheet of paper and her unfocused eyes wide open. She reminded him of a startled deer, frightened and ready to bounce.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Oh my god," she whispered, her voice so quiet he almost didn't hear her. Then, as if suddenly realising where she was, Roxy yanked off her glasses and stared at them incredulously. "This can't be…"

Still clueless about what had happened, Eggsy inspected the glasses as well, hoping to find what had put Roxy off. But as far as he could tell, there was nothing extraordinary about them. Roxy, however, seemed to think otherwise. Without warning, she leaped up, putting Eggsy – who was still leaning forward – slightly off balance and rushed to the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Eggsy called out perplexed, setting the two cups safely on the table.

A faint "Central!" could be heard, indicating that Roxy had already crossed the hallway and Eggsy sighed, taking off after her.

~oOo~

Central was quiet, the only sound penetrating the air the faint, rhythmical tapping of keys. Merlin usually treasured those moments of peace, when he was able to fully loose himself in his work. Surrounded by tech and data, he was able to create the things the knights couldn't even imagine.

Now, however, the silence was suffocating and was a painful reminder of the loss of the people who'd usually chased it away. Lancelot, for one, had had the habit of popping in at the most inappropriate moments – knowing full well that Merlin was working – to ramble about missions, silly things that had happened to him in the curse of the day, Percival and generally whatever crossed his mind. The agent had been a hyperactive, trigger-happy, highly annoying man who'd never thought about the consequences of his actions. And yet, Merlin wished he were here now to distract him from his dark thoughts.

And then there was Galahad, of course. Or more precisely, Harry. It would take time, before he'd be able to call Eggsy by his codename. Merlin would get used to it, yes. But just not now. The image of the gun aimed at his, at Harry's head, was still too real, burned into his head. He could see it whenever he closed his eyes; felt the helplessness that had frozen him in that exact moment drown him all over again. Oh, what he would give to see Harry's face one last time, to hear his smooth voice whispering in his ear. Harry would walk up to him, lazily striding into Central with an almost arrogant self-confidence, and mock him about how the lack of human interaction – how sitting in front of his screen every day, worrying – had cost him his hair. After a lot of teasing and arguing, Merlin would eventually give up and Harry would drag him home with a triumphant smile, holding his hand innocently.

What a pointless thought, Merlin scolded himself. He really needed to get his shit together—he was the temporary head of Kingsman, for god's sake!

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Merlin returned his focus to his screen. Morgana was scheduled to report back soon and Lamorak should have landed by now. It would still be an hour before Bors would contact them from Sydney, hopefully bearing news about Gawain.

Merlin pulled up Lamorak's flight plan and saw that the plane had indeed landed in Tehran five minutes ago. Knowing the knight, he'd already be on his way to the rented Kingsman flat to look for Percival. The chance that the missing agent would be there was very slim, but it was as good a place to start as any.

The tech wizard was busy preparing to set up a safe feed to Lamorak's glasses when footsteps echoed in the hallway. He looked up just in time to see a breathless Roxy storming through the door.

She reached his desk, breathing heavily, and thrust the pair of glasses she'd clutched in one hand under his nose. "He's alive, Merlin, "she exclaimed shakily, gasping for breath. "I'm not sure how these work, I mean, I didn't even know one could do that, but I'm sure about the message, because who else could it be and he's in danger and we have no means to help him and–"

"Roxy," Merlin interrupted her quietly, laying a hand on her arm to calm her down. He didn't have the slightest idea what she was talking about. "I need you to take a deep breath and tell me – slowly – what happened, okay? Whatever it is, we can sort it out."

"No, you don't understand," she replied urgently, waving the glasses in front of his face. Just in that moment, Eggsy burst into the room, and stopped beside the tech wizard to catch his breath.

"It's Percy. He's alive and he was able to send us a message." She shoved the glasses into Merlin's hand. "Put them on and you'll see."

Merlin obliged and exchanged his glasses for the proffered ones. Roxy reached out to tap the side of the frame and Merlin's eyes lit up in recognition. Of course the transmitter had been his design, his last unfruitful attempt to convince James to wear his bloody glasses so he could do his job - which was, after all, saving their sorry asses, thank you very much - but over fifteen years had passed since then. However, Merlin hadn't forgotten how they worked.

He conjured a piece of paper from under his desk, pressed the frame closer to his ear and, with his free hand, wrote down a neat line of Morse code. After checking he hadn't missed anything, Merlin easily translated the dots and lines, while the younger agents leaned over his shoulder.

The message was simple, but clear. Three words. Nothing more. Enough to cause Roxy's heart to beat faster and her fingers tremble so hard that she had to bury them in the cushion of Merlin's chair to still them. Of course she'd known what the message said, but having it confirmed by Merlin himself was a lot worse.

 _Captured. Terorrists. Russia._

"Ok, would someone please share with the rest of the class?" Eggsy's interjected.

Merlin turned, holding up the glasses. "There's a direct transmission link between Percival's and the former Lancelot's glasses. If you turn it on and tap the right spot on the frame you can send a message in Morse code. The recipient receives it automatically as a high peeping sound near his right ear."

"Why didn't he contact us by using the normal comm?"

"Maybe it's broken. Or the signal was detected by his captors and they blocked it. Anyway, we need to find him soon."

"But how are we going to do that?" Roxy asked, a bit more composed. Giving in to panic now didn't help anyone.

"I'll talk to Lamorak, see if he can find anything in Tehran that might help us find out where they are taking him." Merlin answered, already typing away on his keyboard again. "Are you two done with the files yet?"

"No," Roxy glanced at Eggsy, hoping for backup to convince the quartermaster that they should concentrate all their efforts on finding Percy instead of sorting through files.

"Then finish doing so."

"But -"

"I know you want to help him, Roxy. But there's only so much we can do right now and Lamorak is more than capable to handle it. Sorting through those files is a great help for Morgana and we need to think of the world's safety right now. That's our priority."

Roxy sighed, defeated by Merlin's arguments. Of course he was right, but who could blame her for trying?

"I'll keep you updated on his progress, okay?"

She nodded thankfully and turned to leave the room, scooping up the glasses in the process. They were the only connection she had to her brother right now and Roxy would never forgive herself if she missed a second message from him. It was very unlikely though, since Percy would have sent a more detailed description in the first place.

Eggsy followed her after exchanging a look with the tech wizard, silently assuring him he'd keep an eye on her.

* * *

 _Reviews make me very happy :D_


	6. Bad News

**A/N:** ivefoundmygoldfish(melonpanparade) corrected my mistakes again (which we should all thank her for)! There's also a paragraph in here that she suggested and I didn't change because it was too well written and beautiful.

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Bad News**

"Merlin." Lamorak greeted the quartermaster with a nod, his projection on the screen in Central flickering a bit. The furniture in the background indicated that he was screening from the flat in Tehran, probably using the Kingsman laptop Percival had taken with him. The older agent looked sober, his normally kind face and bright eyes overshadowed by recent events.

"Lamorak, it's good to see you in person," Merlin replied, trying to ignore the coldness that stole into his heart at Lamorak's dark gaze, who was normally the one telling them to cheer up. Nonetheless he was glad that the visual feed was working again. Due to earlier security problems with the network he'd only been able to contact Morgana, the foreign branches, and the other agents via phone; a rather annoying necessity. A lot of things were easier done face to face.

"I see your flight went well." Lamorak had been forced to use public transport since the jet had been dismantled, extending the time it took him to fly to Tehran by quite a few hours. It was a miracle he'd arrived at all, since the world was still in chaos.

The agent snorted. "Well, traffic's hell, you know, but I managed." His face turned serious again as he continue, "Percival wasn't in the flat, nor does his description fit unidentified hospital patients or corpses. But from the look on your face I assume you already knew that."

Merlin nodded soberly. "Unfortunately, yes. We received a coded message a few minutes ago. He's been captured and taken to Russia, presumably for questioning."

"That's bad news indeed, although him being still alive is a good thing after all," Lamorak replied, his face darkening even further. "If you agree I'd like to take on the mission, starting by paying the company a visit in search for information."

Grateful for Lamorak's willingness to investigate further, Merlin nodded and quickly searched his computer for Percival's mission feed. "Take the plane originally assigned to Percival, if it's still in one piece. I've already sent you the coordinates and mission file. A handler will be assigned to you and will help you bypass security. And burn the flat; we don't know who we're dealing with, yet."

"Understood." Lamorak leaned forward to turn off the feed but paused, a distant look in his eyes. "Oh and Merlin..."

"Yes?"

The agent met his gaze, some of the familiar warmth returning to his eyes. Being the oldest knight – which usually came with a calmness and understanding the younger agents lacked – Merlin had started to think of him as the eye of a storm, holding the knights together and providing wisdom where it was needed.

"I think I speak for us all when I say that you are doing great." He paused and smiled reassuringly. "We all trust you. Just thought you might need to hear that."

"Thank you," the quartermaster replied, a bit baffled but grateful for the encouragement.

"I'll report back as soon as I've landed in Moscow," Lamorak said shortly before the feed went dark.

Merlin bridged the time until Morgana's call by briefing a handler on Lamorak's mission and sending Roxy a quick note that Lamorak was on the case. He also hacked the marketing firm Percy had gone to, but without finding anything of significance. Lamorak's skills – and Merlin had no doubt his experience with getting people to talk would come in handy – would have to be enough to obtain a lead to Percival's whereabouts.

The screen flickered, announcing an incoming call. The quartermaster accepted it and leaned back in his chair to watch the image of a woman appear on the screen.

"Good to see you, Morgana," Merlin greeted the head of medical.

She was in her early forties, her brown shoulder-length hair braided back as to not get in the way. A faint, yet visible scar, ran from her collarbone to her right ear—evidence of her capability to defend herself. And a reminder of a chaotic mission in Libya long ago, where Merlin had had the misfortune of being a handler.

"My King," Morgana said, bowing her head slightly, the glimmer in her eyes betraying her serious tone.

"Very funny."

"Sorry," Morgana apologised mischievously, a huge smile spreading across her face. "I just needed to see that look on your face."

"How's the mission going?"

"I'm afraid I bear bad news." The smile left her face, completely replaced by a serious look. "Valentine seems to have a hand in this, Merlin."

He started to object, to insist that this was impossible, but Morgana held up a hand to stop him. "I know he's dead, and I'm well aware of the price that was paid for his death, but there is no doubt Valentine is a piece of the puzzle – a rather huge piece, in fact, and we missed it. This is the connection between the dots we've so desperately tried to make sense of.

"Kay found an old file of a customer; the address matches with one of Valentine's companies. And there are encrypted emails from Valentine Corp. that Bedivere was able to retrieve. Since they are both still deep undercover I wasn't able to freely talk to them, yet, and I'm hesitant to approach them in fear of having their covers blown."

She let out a heavy sigh, and looked him straight in the eye. "Someone else is pulling the strings in the background, Merlin. I'm sure of it. And I think we should fear them. Although Valentine might be gone, the threat clearly isn't."

Downcast by her report, but too tired for the shock to fully sink in, the quartermaster simply nodded in agreement. Morgana's fierce gaze helped to lift a bit of the responsibility from his shoulders, though, and he was eternally grateful for her support. If he were honest with himself, it was starting to wear him down.

"How's your work doing?" If a cure could be found, eliminating the threat would be a lot easier.

"My team and I are trying to find an antitoxin, but that's impossible without a sample of the original substance. We are doing our best to get our hands on information concerning the company and the toxin; we've even called our furthest contacts into action, but our opponent is guarding their secret very well." Morgana sighed, brushing a few loose strands out of her face. "If you want me to come back to HQ, I will."

Merlin shook his head. "No, it's fine. You're needed in Germany. Besides, your expertise is of more use there than anywhere else. Should a medical emergency occur I'll call you in."

She looked at him with her motherly stare, all kind and sympathetic. Her gaze seemed to go right through him, leaving Merlin vulnerable. She knew very well that he knew her medical advice hadn't been her reason for offering to return to HQ. And Merlin had a feeling Morgana also knew that he was aware she had seen through his intentional misinterpretation of her words.

Feeling himself slowly but steadily crumble under her gaze, Merlin quickly looked away.

"How's Guinevere?" Morgana asked, letting the unspoken argument between them rest. For now, at least. "She contacted the German branch to reassure me she was uninjured and would continue to lead the HQ infirmary during my absence. But I know she's been tending to some of her Kingsman colleagues. How's she coping?"

Merlin pictured the young woman with his inner eye, remembering how shy yet determined she'd been as she fought for her position amongst the medical staff. Morgana had taken the girl under her wing after a rather remarkable stunt in the infirmary that had saved a knight's life. "Fine, I think. I debriefed her together with the rest of the employees and she has reported back to me twice so far, informing me of the well-being of her patients. I'll see to her if you wish."

"I would appreciate that."

A tall man appeared on the screen, wearing a headset and carrying a Kingsman tablet. Merlin recognized him as a member of the tech department, and one of the German handlers who was responsible for assisting missions. The foreign branches worked as self-reliant agencies that gathered intel and infiltrated relevant companies and organisations, undertaking a great deal of the scientific research outside HQ. Only if a mission of international importance arose did a knight step in to take the lead, counting on the guidance of the employees of the foreign branch.

After acknowledging Merlin with a respectful nod, the man turned to Morgana and showed her something on the tablet screen. The way he was shielding his microphone with his free hand indicated he was currently handling a mission and probably asking Morgana for further instructions.

Whatever he said, she seemed to agree and the handler disappeared out of sight again. Morgana looked at him apologetically. "I'm afraid I have to cut our conversation short. It seems Bedivere has found a way to grant us access to the toxin and is now requesting backup, favourably someone who has deeper chemical knowledge."

There was no doubt who she was talking about. "Be careful," Merlin said, nonetheless confident Morgana was able to take care of herself.

"I will. And Merlin—" Morgana paused momentarily, as if deliberating her next words.

Merlin winced inwardly. As much as he considered Morgana his friend, and at times, a confidante, this was one topic he wasn't ready to talk about—with anyone.

She smiled, and Merlin watched as the harsh lines of worry and fatigue on her face softened into something kinder, something more understanding. Her shoulders rose and fell as she sighed heavily. "I'll see you at the funeral."

Merlin had no time to answer, because Morgana swiftly motioned for the person behind the screen to end the transmission, leaving Merlin alone.

The quartermaster did his very best not think about her last words, ignoring the painful ache in his chest he'd come to see as a constant occurrence now. Instead, his gaze wandered over the paperwork on his desk, resembling the endless pile of tasks demanding attention, with a dejected frown.

His fingers itched for something to do. A piece of tech to work on or simply a pair of broken glasses to repair; anything would be better than filling out paperwork and being reduced to his computer. But it simply wasn't done. He could only return to his work once the new Arthur was selected. He'd even entertained the thought of living at HQ – or more precisely, his work station – for a few days to make up for the time spent apart from his precious projects, Morgana's scolding eyes be damned.

Remembering his promise, Merlin heaved himself up and left Central to visit the infirmary. He could not, however, keep himself from observing the technicians bent over their tables in the working area. Lucky bastards.

The infirmary was rather full compared to the normal few patients and on occasion, an agent who had been unfortunate enough to be restricted to bed rest under Morgana's watchful eye. Thanks to his position, Merlin had a very good impression of how many employees Kingsman had lost to V-Day and he shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if Valentine had lived just a few minutes longer.

Since he didn't immediately spot Guinevere anywhere, Merlin slowly went from room to room in the hope of finding the young woman. Just as he was talking to one of his staff members – a brilliant woman who'd helped him calculate the measurements for the Kingsman umbrella and had been hit by a car – a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"How nice to see you down here, Merlin," a female voice said. "Do you need patching up or were you just bored?"

"Neither, I'm afraid." He turned around, motioning vaguely up to where he presumed Central was, and added, "You know there's always work, especially when you're the temporary head of this madness."

Guinevere chuckled and gestured him to follow her to her study. After quickly bidding farewell to the woman lying in the white bed, Merlin followed her out of the room.

Once the door to her study had been closed, the doctor asked worriedly, "Has there been an accident?" A few strands of her short, ginger hair fell over her concerned eyes, and in that moment she reminded Merlin of Morgana, though Guinevere was merely 28 years old.

"Oh no, nothing serious. At least nothing that would require your help." He didn't mention Percival's situation, not wanting to burden her with the knowledge. "Morgana called; said she would stay abroad a little while longer. She has transferred all authority to you in the meantime."

"I know, I talked to her on the phone."

"It's a great act of trust, you know. If Morgana thinks you're suitable then you are, and I have utmost faith in her judgement."

His speech had the intended effect. The young woman stood a little taller and nodded in understanding. It was important that she knew she could come to him with whatever it was that bothered her, indifferent to her secondary status. Merlin knew of the condescension with which Chester had treated his employees and had no intention of adopting it. All too often the late Arthur's sneer had been directed at Merlin.

A peep near his right ear stopped him from saying anything further and he shot Guinevere an apologetic look before tapping the side of his glasses. "Yes?"

"Merlin," Roxy's excited voice sounded in his ear. "We think we've found something of interest in the files. My German isn't perfect, though, so I wondered if you could come and take a second look."

Infected by the young agent's excitement and relieved that they might finally have a breakthrough, Merlin quickly thanked Guinevere and hurried out of the infirmary. "Stay where you are, I'll meet you in the library."

* * *

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	7. Two missions, one purpose

**A/N:** _As always, beta-read by the wonderful ivefoundmygoldfish(melonpanparade)!_  
 _There's quite a bit of German in this chapter, but no worries, I've written the translation behind every paragraph ;D_

* * *

 **Two missions, one purpose**

"We didn't see it at first, but a number kept appearing in the files labelled 'Versuchsdurchführungen'," Eggsy explained, motioning towards several documents spread out on the table in the library. They all had paragraphs marked with a red circle.

"It's German for 'trail runs'," Merlin declared and leaned forward to study the files.

Roxy nodded. "That makes sense. First we thought the number might be a code, but the computer couldn't decipher it. So we split it into coordinates instead and got a deserted spot in Scotland."

"Here." Eggsy shoved a few loose sheets aside and pointed at a spot on the world map beneath. The place was about 50 km south of Edinburgh, rather high up in the Southern Uplands. Sparse traffic, no tourists, and only a handful of people every now and then. The perfect location if one wanted to conceal their whereabouts to pursue illegal experiments.

"If that's where they have been testing the neurotoxin it's definitely worth checking out, especially since Morgana's attempts to retrieve a sample have been fruitless so far. But we should handle this mission with great caution. There's no telling what might await us…"

At Eggsy questioning glance, Merlin quickly reported what Morgana had told him. It wasn't a surprise that Valentine's part in this caused an incredulous stare from the young Galahad. Lancelot, on the contrary, looked only mildly surprised.

"He was bound to have a back-up plan."

"But he fried people's brains by using their SIM cards!" Eggsy protested, exasperated. "Some toxic chemical stuff is nothing compared to that, right? Why bother with it then?"

"It's a highly effective neurotoxin, Eggsy, and not to be underestimated," Merlin lectured him. "The fact that we have neither the slightest clue what it does, nor how it can be made ineffective, should perturb you greatly."

"I ain't saying I'm not worried, but this seems child's play compared to the stunt Valentine pulled with the SIM cards."

"How shall we proceed?" Roxy asked, pointedly ignoring her friend's immature comment.

Merlin had already considered that question on his way to the library, coming to the only logical conclusion. That didn't mean he had to like it. "You two will look into it. As much as I regret to stay behind and let you go alone, I can't leave HQ as long as the new Arthur hasn't been selected. However, my position won't keep me from being your handler, so be assured I'll be with you the entire time."

A strange thrill coursed through Eggsy at the prospect of a solo mission. Well, a mission without a senior agent, just him and Roxy.

On the contrary, the young Lancelot was reluctant to go—yet just as excited. It was only natural that they set off to investigate the firm and destroy the organisation, but she'd be out of reach if Percy's situation worsened. But Lamorak is on his way, she told herself, he'll find him and everything will turn out fine.

So instead of objecting, Roxy stood a little taller. "When do we leave?"

"Once you're both dressed." Turning to Roxy, Merlin added, "There's a suit for you on the plane since you do not have one yet."

Roxy nodded and followed Eggsy out of Central.

Merlin watched them go with an uneasy feeling in his gut. But there was no other way; he had a funeral to plan and a Secret Service to run, no matter how desperately he wished to be able to delay the first and avoid the latter, if just for a little while longer.

~oOo~

Her head held high and back straight, Morgana walked up to the intimidating building, going over her cover story again in her mind. She wasn't an agent and nowhere near as trained for this kind of mission as the knights (or spies), but she would be damned if she didn't give her best. Lives were depending on her success, and Morgana was nothing if not determined and self-confident – whether holding a scalpel or carrying a fake ID.

Considering what the company was developing behind an unblemished façade, the high security the tall building was under didn't come as a surprise and Morgana was prepared for the security officer's suspicious stare.

"Ausweis?" _[ID?]_

Taking out her ID in one swift motion, making it look as if she'd done this thousands of times before, Morgana held it out to him. "Dr. Margarete Hoffmann, Neurobiologin." _[Dr. Margarete Hoffmann, neurobiologist.]_

He accepted it and used a scanner to test its validity. The movement caused his jacket to move up, giving Morgana a glimpse of two guns and an electric stick fastened to his belt.

The man studied the scanner screen for a moment, frowning.

"Stimmt etwas nicht?" _[Something wrong?]_ Morgana asked coldly, letting annoyance lace her tone.

"Darf ich fragen, warum Sie nicht in der Datenbank registriert sind?" _[May I ask why you are not on the employee list?]_

Thank God, that was a question they had prepared for. Flashing him what she hoped was an arrogant smile, Morgana slipped into her cover identity's story. "Ich bin hier als externer Begutachter, um den versprochenen Erfolg eines Projektes zu evaluieren." _[I'm here as an external expert to survey the promised progress of a project.]_

The guard considered her for a few more seconds, but finally stepped aside. It wasn't unusual for investors and third parties to hire a renowned scientist to evaluate whether the money invested in a project of a firm was worth it. Lucky for Morgana, people tended to treat those surveyors with great respect since their research – and job – depended on their evaluation. Hopefully, that would make her task a bit easier.

She tried to ignore the five security cameras following her every move as she retrieved her ID before entering the building, doing her best to uphold a bored demeanour that she hoped would be interpreted as arrogance. She was, after all, supposed to be a highly specialised neurobiologist hired by influential people for her opinion, and if what Morgana had learnt in medical school was anything to go by, those people were always extremely haughty. Although everything but arrogant, playing the scientist in high demand would grant her access to the building for at least a limited time.

In the entrance hall, two more guards searched her for weapons and cameras. Morgana deliberately made a scene as they rummaged through her handbag, almost enjoying the frightened look on the man's face as she threatened him to stab him with her nail scissors if he dared tip over her purse. Thankfully, the detectors didn't pick up on the tech in her glasses and Morgana was soon free to step into the lift.

Her ID only granted her access to the fourth and fifth floor, ultimately making it more challenging to find the laboratory used to develop the neurotoxin. She observed herself in the mirror walls of the lift, idly combing back a few strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail. Her lab coat, although not much different from the one she wore in the infirmary daily, felt strange and uncomfortable over her suit.

Relieved to hear the elevator halt, Morgana turned around. The doors opened only to reveal a blond man also wearing a white overcoat, his nose askew and looking suspiciously like it had seen its fair share of bar fights.

Sighing quietly in relief, Morgana had to stop herself from grinning at him and instead greeted him with a polite nod. "Herr Dr. Teichberg, es ist schön, Sie endlich persönlich kennen zu lernen _."_ _[Dr. Teichberg, it's an honour to finally meet you in person.]_

"Die Ehre ist ganz auf meiner Seite, Frau Dr. Hoffmann." Kay replied calmly, maintaining a polite demeanour throughout the exchange. "Ich sehe unsere Zusammenarbeit mit großer Zuversicht entgegen und hoffe, dass Sie uns in unserer Forschung in unserem Manhofer Institut gut heißen können." _[The pleasure is all mine, Dr. Hoffmann. I'm looking forward to our collaboration and hope that you will find our research at our Manhofer Institute to your liking.]_

His German was flawless and without the faint accent that could still be heard when Morgana spoke. But the probability that they were overheard was too high and Kay had now been undercover for so long that risking his cover would be foolish. He'd just gained enough trust and respect to be able to manipulate the selection process for an outside counsellor, and he'd taken advantage of that to smuggle Morgana in. Although the knight was able to pass as a scientist, he lacked the level of expertise Morgana possessed to find and identify the chemical substances they were looking for.

Kay led her through the corridors with ease, passing laboratories and offices, until they came to a halt in front of a high double-door. Holding it open, he motioned for her to enter what looked like a conference room. Two men and three women sitting in chairs around the table looked up at their entrance.

They regarded Kay with a nod; it was obvious they'd worked with him before. Then, with curiosity written on their faces, they turned to Morgana.

"Meine Damen und Herren," Kay said. "Bitte begrüßen Sie Frau Dr. Hoffmann. Wie Sie bereits wissen, wird sie als Gutachterin ihre Forschung einsehen und ihre Ergebnisse überprüfen. Bei Fragen bitte ich darum mich sofort zu informieren." _[Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome Dr. Hoffmann._ _As you already know, she will look into your research and results._ _If you have questions please contact me immediately.]_

Turning to Morgana he added, "Wenn Sie erlauben treffe ich mich mit Ihnen am späten Nachmittag in der Cafeteria, um Ihnen bei der Gelegenheit einen Einblick in unser Institut zu geben." _[If you'll permit I'd like to meet with you in the late evening in the cafeteria, to give you a more detailed picture of our institute.]_

"Natürlich." _[Yes, of course.]_ Morgana replied with a smile, silently assuring him she understood his meaning. It would be the perfect excuse for her to leave for an hour without anyone questioning where she'd gone to.

She looked after him as he left the room, before turning back and preparing herself for the introduction round that would undoubtedly follow.

~oOo~

When Percy woke up for the second time, it wasn't inside a van, but a small room. The tiny window under the ceiling out of his reach and the plank bed he was lying on resembled the interior of a cell. From what he could make out without his glasses, some unfortunate soul had etched marks on the wall with a stone to keep count of the days. Or maybe years, who knew?

Fighting the urge to throw up, Percy raised his head to take a look at the wound in his abdomen. Under the bloody fabric of his torn shirt, a white bandage was visible. Slightly reassured he wouldn't bleed to death in the next few hours, he let himself fall back onto the plank, but not before hissing in pain at the tug at his wound. Although his captors may have stopped the bleeding, Percy doubted they'd put much effort into it. Since he was barely a source of information, his survival probably wasn't high up on the list of his captors and he could already feel the beginning of a fever clouding his mind. If he didn't die of blood loss, blood poisoning would certainly finish him off soon.

Too exhausted to move, Percy continued to lie on the plank, focusing on trying to breathe through the pain. There wasn't a point in getting up anyway. They would, without a doubt, come for him soon enough. He closed his eyes and focused on the hard wood digging into his back, his feverish thoughts drifting off to a rainy country and a house he called home. In this delirium at least, his mind failed to acknowledge that he was both lost and – what was even worse – lonely in more than one way.

* * *

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	8. Time Pressure

**A/N:** Again, beta-read by the wonderful ivefoundmygoldfish(melonpanparade)!

The handler's name Siegmund comes from the Niebelungenlied, a German saga.

* * *

 **Chapter Eight: Time Pressure**

They walked in silence, each of them dealing with the apprehension of what lay ahead on their own. Although Kay walked slightly ahead of her, he'd matched his strides to hers, all the while maintaining the casual walk of a scientist making his way to their lunch break. His confidence in his abilities grounded Morgana somewhat, and she forced her breathing to stay even as they neared the lift.

Kay opened the door with his ID. After checking no one was inside, they both stepped in and the doors closed behind them. Without hesitating, Kay swiftly pulled out a small black card from his coat pocket, turned to the control panel and held it in front of the ID reader. A faint clicking could be heard, then silence.

They held their breath for a moment, both standing motionless side by side.

" _Okay, I'm in."_ Morgana almost jumped at the voice in her ear, but heaved a sigh of relief when she realised who was contacting them.

"Siegmund," Kay greeted their – or rather Morgana's – handler through the inbuilt microphone of his own Kingsman-issue glasses. "Are we ready to proceed?"

" _Yes. I've got control over the security cameras in the lift and on the sixth floor. But remember, beyond that I'm powerless."_

"Understood,"Morgana replied steadily.

There was no going back now. Not that she'd ever back down from a challenge. Kay seemed to know that, too. He nodded reassuringly at her – the faintest of smiles ghosting over his normally steeled features – and unlocked the door with his ID.

"Good luck, Morgana."

The doors opened to reveal the deserted corridor of the sixth floor, and Morgana had no chance to reply. She stepped out and the doors closed behind her, leaving her alone. It had been clear from the beginning that Kay would not be able to accompany her, since his presence would cause questions. Should she fail, at least Kay wouldn't be an immediate suspect. It was a small victory, and a compromise Morgana was more than willing to take, if it meant a second chance.

Having left the safety of the lift behind, Morgana didn't speak but tapped her glasses instead.

" _I'm here,"_ Siegmund confirmed. _"You have a time window of approximately 45 minutes before I lose control over the cameras and won't be able to suppress the signal that disrupts the transmission feed anymore."_

Morgana nodded, confirming she understood his warning. If she exceeded the time limit, she would not only be blind, but security would spot her in seconds.

" _The sixth floor has one main laboratory, seven smaller ones, one conference room, and an offices corridor,"_ Siegmund explained while Morgana moved forward. _"Try to stay away from the offices, if possible."_

She came to a halt before a fireproof door; to her right was what Siegmund confirmed as the wing that harboured the offices and to the left another corridor leading to the conference room and two storage rooms.

Peering through the door window, Morgana made out two scientists currently occupied with their experiments. Although her presence alone might be enough to convince the employees that she was authorised to be on the sixth floor, it would be a risk she wasn't willing to take. But this laboratory was the only access to the rest of the floor. Save for the office wing.

She knew from Kay that the neurotoxin was tested in a laboratory used only for that very task, likely one of the smaller ones to not take up too much space.

Quickly making up her mind, Morgana headed to the storage rooms. The closest one held shelves containing files and rarely used equipment. She read through the labels, took two files containing research data on pain suppression, and went back to the laboratory again. After straightening her lab coat, Morgana pushed open the door.

The comm crackled as she stepped over the threshold, and for a terrifying moment Morgana thought she was finally left alone, but the sound stopped as soon as the doors had closed behind her and Siegmund was back in her ear. The scientists merely looked up as she walked through the room, the files firmly in one hand, and returned her nod before getting back to their work.

Not looking back, Morgana opened the door on the other side of the laboratory and stepped out into another long corridor. The lock fell into place with a soft click.

" _38 minutes left,"_ Siegmund informed her. Before her were six identical doors, all without a doubt leading to smaller laboratories. She had no choice but to take a look into every room, and 35 minutes to do so without being discovered. Morgana sighed.

~oOo~

"Great, just great!" Eggsy proclaimed sarcastically. Groaning in annoyance, he fished another twig out of his perfectly styled hair.

As it had turned out, the coordinates they found were located in a forest, making it impossible for them to land close by. So they'd been forced to leave the plane on a field about two kilometres away instead, and proceeded to scramble their way through the trees.

Roxy halted to take a look at the GPS, causing Eggsy to almost run into her from behind.

"Hey!"

"We're nearly there. I propose we stop speaking now to minimise the risk of being seen."

Eggsy wasn't sure whether Roxy was simply trying to shut him up or really concerned, but he nodded anyway.

~oOo~

Standing on her tiptoes to have a better view, Morgana peered through the window of the last room. Seeing it empty, she stepped inside and quickly took a look around. No success. Whatever room they used for their research, it wasn't this one. Nor was it any of the other rooms she'd searched.

But Siegmund had said seven, leaving one laboratory she'd not yet searched. Morgana held up six fingers, hoping Siegmund would understand what she needed.

He did, but his voice was apprehensive. _"The seventh laboratory is separated from the rest. You'll have to get past the offices to reach it."_

Looking at her watch, Morgana cursed inwardly. 25 minutes left.

She hurried back out the room, down the corridor and through the main laboratory as fast as she dared. Surprisingly enough, there had been few scientists so far that had crossed her path, all merely acknowledging her presence. But the office wing would, without a doubt, be more crowded.

Her suspicion was confirmed as she stepped through the doors of the office wing.

Morgana kept her gaze fixed on the files she picked up earlier in an attempt to look busy, and to avoid making eye contact with anyone else. With Siegmund's guidance, she made her way past open and closed office doors, scientists talking in the hallway and a rather stressed looking man in a lab coat running past. She only had to turn around and duck around a corner once, when one of the women who'd seen her as surveyor downstairs unexpectedly exited one of the offices.

It wasn't long before the fireproof, white door of the seventh laboratory appeared before her. Since it was located at one end of the wing and attached to a less used hallway, taking a peek through the window was easy.

Morgana did, and was met by the yellowish colour of a blind blocking her few. A good sign. Holding her breath, she pushed down the door handle.

It didn't move. The door was locked.

Shit.

" _I'm sorry, but I can't help you,"_ Siegmund said regretfully. _"I have no access to the ID–panels and doors."_

Knowing her time was running out, Morgana quickly turned around and walked back to the offices. She only stopped shortly before the biggest room to take a calming breath and take a second look at the door sign, before knocking on the door and pushing it open.

"Professor Lorenz?" Morgana asked, her voice sounding strangely distant in her own ears. Her gaze found the older man sitting in a chair behind a huge desk – Professor Dr. Wolfgang Lorenz, head of the scientific research carried out on the sixth floor.

"Ja?" He looked up from where he was crouched over his papers and gazed at her in puzzlement. Wrinkles under his eyes and around his mouth betrayed the still rich colour of his full brown hair. For a moment, Morgana was reminded of her grandfather – who'd awakened in her the wish to become a doctor – and she almost felt guilty.

The professor's gaze wandered to the name tag sewed onto her coat. "Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen, Frau Dr. Hoffmann?" _[How can I help you, Dr. Hoffmann?]_

"Herr Dr. Schmidt schickt mich. Er braucht dringend Ihren Rat bei seinen Untersuchungen hinsichtlich zeitweiliger Unterdrückung postsynaptischer Potenziale an Muskelzellen." _[Dr. Schmidt sent me. He needs your immediate advice on his research about temporary suppression of postsynaptic potentials on muscle cells.]_

He frowned, but seemed to believe her. Morgana had read the name on a file in the storage room. It had been a report on said topic and was dated fairly recent, making it a valid story. But still, since he obviously didn't know her, he had no reason to believe her.

But he nodded and rose from his chair to exit the room and find a man Morgana hoped was currently on his lunch break. She thanked him and pretended to leave the room as well, but suddenly stopped and turned on the doorstep. Just as expected, the professor crashed into her and Morgana let go of the files. They fell to the floor, loose papers covering the laminate.

"Oh Gott, das tut mir leid!" _[Oh god, I'm so sorry.]_

They simultaneously crouched down to take care of the mess.

He picked up one of the files and read the inscription while placing the papers back inside. "Sie entwickeln neue Analgetika?" _[You are developing a new analgesic?]_

She flashed him her most charming smile, praying he couldn't hear the thumping of her heart against her ribcage. Painkillers were a topic she could talk about. They were, after all, the medication she prescribed the most. "Nein, nicht ganz. Ich habe einige Untersuchungen in Bezug auf die Verträglichkeit und Kombination verschiedener Analgetika durchgeführt und man hat mir zeitweiligen Zugang zum sechsten Geschoss gewährt um einen Blick in die hier bereits gewonnen Erkenntnisse zu werfen." _[No, not really. I'm doing some research on the compatibility of different analgesics and received temporally access to the sixth floor to take a look at your results.]_

Apparently satisfied by her answer, he handed her back the files. "Dann wünsche ich Ihnen viel Erfolg." _[Good luck, then.]_

"Danke."

They stood and left the office. Morgana waited until Professor Lorenz had disappeared out of side, before pulling out the ID she'd nicked as he'd rammed into her. She grinned triumphantly, sending a silent 'Thank you' to James for teaching her a few tricks while they'd sat through a tremendous storm in Norway.

" _Well done, Morgana,"_ Siegmund congratulated her. _"You have 15 minutes left."_

Enough time to get in, take what she needed and leave the floor.

After quickly walking back to the laboratory, Morgana held the ID over the panel. The door opened and she stepped into the room. So far so good.

She was about to relax when suddenly the same crackling noise interrupted the feed, only this time getting louder. Morgana turned just in time to see and hear the alarm going off before the doors closed behind her.

As it turned out, 15 minutes had been a miscalculation. Her clock had just hit zero.

* * *

 _Reviews make me extremely happy!_


	9. Turning Point

**A/N:** Thanks to ivefoundmygoldfish(melonpanparade) for beta-reading!

Morgana uses two chemicals in here to plan her escape. I'm not a chemist, but those two chemicals could for example be ammonia and hydro chloric acid (in case someone's wondering).

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: Turning Point**

Letting herself fall into her office chair, Guinevere let out a heavy sigh. It had been a hell of a day. There had been so much work to do, she hadn't eaten since breakfast and barely survived on at least five cups of coffee. Her feet hurt and a headache was beginning to pull at her nerves. She was looking forward to Morgana's return, as well as a full night's rest. Not to mention a hot shower, or - heaven forbid - a bath.

The sun had started to set, dipping her office in a reddish glow. Her mouth watered at the thought of dinner. Although she couldn't go home, the kitchen was always well-stocked and held enough food to feed the entire mansion. She could ask the night staff to accompany her, or even bring Merlin a plate. He hadn't left Central since his visit to the infirmary and as a doctor Guinevere saw it as her duty to make sure he ate.

Before she could take action, however, her phone started ringing. Guinevere took the call, bracing herself for another emergency.

"Yes?"

"Guinevere?" The voice on the other side was unexpected.

"Tristan?" She didn't even try to hide her surprise. As far as she knew, Tristan was still in America.

A moment of silence, then, "Can I talk to Morgana?"

He sounded worried and reserved. Guinevere felt her heart beating faster as thousands of possible scenarios – each worse than the other – unfolded in her mind.

She shook her head, before realising Tristan couldn't see it. "No. She's still in Germany, currently on an undercover mission."

Silence.

"But I'm her substitute until she gets back," Guinevere added, now really unsettled by his lack of an explanation. "If there's an emergency …"

More silence. Then a sigh, tired and defeated.

"It's not an emergency, but rather, an unexpected turn of events," Tristan finally explained. "But I do need medical advice. And that as fast as possible."

"Can I give it over the phone?"

"No," he denied determinedly. "You need to fly to Kentucky."

He didn't give her any further information and Guinevere had a feeling he wouldn't tell her what happened until they saw eye to eye. But Morgana trusted Tristan, and she trusted Morgana. There was no room for doubt in her line of work, especially when a knight demanded her assistance.

"Okay, I'll leave immediately." A thought crossed her mind. "Should I inform Merlin or have you already –"

"No," Tristan interrupted her. "It's important he doesn't know I talked to you or that you are operating under my orders."

She hesitated, unsure of what to make of his request. The American outpost had, just like every other branch, medical staff Tristan could easily call, and they would certainly be with him sooner than she could. And to leave Merlin in the dark while he was, for all purposes, acting as Arthur right now, felt like treason. But whatever it was, it was serious. She'd never seen Tristan in another mood than his usual cheerful self and right now he was anything but.

"I'll hurry. The jet should still be in the hangar," Guinevere assured him, making a mental note to have someone bring Merlin food. _And make him eat it,_ she thought, resigned.

~oOo~

Morgana turned just in time to see and hear the alarm going off before the doors closed behind her. Now it was only a matter of time before the floor would be swarming with security. They would have to take the elevator, giving her approximately three minutes to escape. She would have to do it on her own, though, since the transmission feed to Berlin was cut.

Shaking herself out of her paralysis, Morgana rushed forward. She hadn't gotten so far just to give up now. With the thoroughness of an experienced doctor and scientist her eyes roamed over notes, files, and equipment.

If she wanted to develop an antitoxin, an untainted sample or instruction was necessary. But from what Morgana read in the notes, the toxin seemed to be in the test phase already, making it hard to come by a pure sample. And something else was problematic: there were exactly three people working on the project, and it seemed they produced only as much as they needed for their testing. So much for the untainted sample, Morgana thought bitterly.

She could hear the seconds ticking away in her ear, convinced someone would enter the laboratory at any moment. Her hope was about to diminish when her gaze fell upon a cold storage room. She opened the metal door and found a safety container holding small vials full of a clear liquid.

Her hand shot forward to grab three and store them away in the inner pocket of her suit under her lab coat. The metal door fell back into place, soon followed by the lab door. She could hear the heavy boots of the security guards on the floor as Morgana turned around the next corner towards where she remembered the fire stairs. The image of the guard who'd checked her ID and the weapons she'd seen him carry flashed through her mind and Morgana had to keep her hands from shaking to the point it would draw attention.

She reached the double doors to the normally closed stairwell, not paying attention to the prying eyes of the scientists who'd left their offices in search for the source of the alarm. If they were suspicious of her, they hadn't dared taking any action to stop her, probably waiting for security.

Since Morgana was still in possession of the stolen ID, the locked doors were no hindrance for her. Her feet nearly stumbled over one another as she rushed down the stairs. Her descent was stopped, however, by the sound of boots, coming both from the sixth and ground floor. Quickly changing her plan, Morgana pushed open the next door and entered the second floor.

 _Think,_ she admonished herself, _you've been in more hopeless situations before_. _And what are a few witless security guards compared to a handful of whining knights?_

She knew how to handle a gun, but Morgana wasn't an expert at using whatever objects caught her eye to fight her way out of tricky situations like this. She wasn't a knight, no. Her field was medicine and she'd be damned if she didn't put her chemical knowledge to use now.

After ditching her lab coat in the nearest closet, she sought out the main laboratory, jolting two scientists who had been bent over their work out of their thoughts. That meant the other floors were oblivious to what had occurred upstairs.

 _Good_ , Morgana thought. They'd probably find out soon enough.

Walking straight up to the cabinet containing the highly dangerous chemicals, Morgana bypassed the lock with the professor's ID without a problem. She was lucky she'd stolen it from someone with such high authorisation. Normally, if one wanted to have access to the dangerous chemicals they had to fill out lots of paperwork, which the heads of the departments were able to evade if necessary.

She randomly picked a flask and turned to the work station, leaving the cabinet open. Taking two more chemicals from the shelf, she left the dangerous liquid untouched and instead mixed the other two together, quickly filled the mixture into vials and plugged them with a cork. Ammonia and hydrochloric acid.

It was an uncomplicated mixture. Releasing it would cause a lot of smoke, but nothing dangerous. No matter how desperate, she was still a doctor and killing innocent people was against her moral code. But no one knew it was harmless, and Morgana had no doubt they'd flee, thinking it was some sort of toxic gas. Besides, the security guards would have to walk through the laboratory and doubtlessly be warned by two hysteric scientists pointing to the open cabinet. The news that a crazy woman was spreading poisonous gas would probably make the round in seconds, and hopefully clear her path to freedom.

Three vials in each hand, Morgana left the laboratory on the other side. Just in time, for she could hear her pursuer enter as she closed the door. She smashed one of the vials on the laminate of the corridor to test its effectiveness and clear her path. Smoke immediately clouded the air, making it hard to see. Both satisfied and relieved, Morgana headed down the hallway. The fog had another side effect she hadn't planned on; it prevented her pursuers from seeing where she was and where she was going.

The elevator wasn't guarded, which was a surprise considering the dozens of armed men on her heels. But she took the chance and stepped into the cabin, leaving another smashed vial behind her as precaution. There was only one floor left to the ground floor, but the ride felt like hours as she prayed no one would enter or stop the descend from the outside.

Pressing herself to the side of the elevator, Morgana waited with bated breath for the doors to open, ready for whatever she might have to face. As soon as they did, she threw two vials out and heard them shatter on the floor a fracture of a second later. She didn't have to wait long before the coughing started, and – in the safety of the dense smoke that filled the entrance hall – Morgana held her breath and fled to the doors.

But no matter how hard she pushed, they wouldn't budge. As the air started to burn in her lungs, she felt her way along the wall to the next door and closed it behind her as quietly as possible. Sucking in a deep breath she continued running, pushing confused scientists out of the way, barely dodging two guards and smashing the two remaining vials behind her.

As she found herself in an empty office, Morgana took the chance and opened the nearest window. She quickly climbed up onto the windowsill and, without looking back, jumped to the ground. Her left foot twisted painfully as she hit the hard asphalt, but she barely noticed it in her adrenaline induced state. Instead, her feet almost moved on their own accord as she scrambled down the narrow street. Buildings and streetlights flew past her as she blindly ran for her life.

Only when her legs gave out under her and the blood rushing in her ears drowned out the thoughts in her head did she stop and collapse onto the grass. Oddly enough, the softness of it reminded her of the soft bed sheets of the infirmary and startled her out of her daze. She looked up to find herself surrounded by trees and bushes; the Tiergarten, one of Berlin's largest parks.

Shaking fingers found their way under her suit and fumbled with the knob of her inner pocket. As her skin came into contact with the cool surface of three glass vials, Morgana closed her eyes in relief and let herself fall onto the ground. Her back damp from the grass, she looked up into the sky while she waited for her breath to calm down. Above her, the dark firmament was alight with stars.

~oOo~

933 km away, Merlin sat slumped in his chair in central. It had been a long day, and although he'd only filled the position of Arthur for a bit over 24 hours, the weight of it was slowly but steadily consuming him. There had not been a word from Tristan yet, but Bors had sent a message back to HQ. It was equally bad, its content more than just depressing, and Merlin wondered how many more times he could bear to be the recipient of such terrible news.

The message read: _  
Searched flat, hospital and morgue.  
_ _Found corpse in the latter and do hereby confirm Gawain's death.  
_ _Request permission to return to HQ as soon as possible._

* * *

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	10. Crossroads I

**A/N:** I **'** m really sorry this took so long, but the new term has started and it's been a few really stressful past weeks.

* * *

 **Chapter Ten: Crossroads 1**

As he regained consciousness the third time, it was of his own accord.

He blinked, careful not to draw to much attention to the fact that he was awake. From his position on the chair he could make out the ugly man sitting on the table with a piece of cloth in his right hand. It was dirty with oil from cleaning the gun, whose parts were laid out on the table.

A Clock 99, with a carbone handle. Small weight, but well balanced for long and short distances. He was sure of it, although he'd not the faintest idea how he'd come by that knowledge. His memories were still blocked by a thick wall, unbreakable without the right inducement. At least the pain had subsided a bit, and all that was left was a throbbing headache and the general stiffness in his limbs. They'd most likely given him strong painkillers so he wouldn't pass out again, which meant a very thorough interrogation was coming.

Footsteps outside the door became audible and he quickly closed his eyes. While pretending he was still unconscious he strained his ears and listened to an unknown voice barking out orders. More men – probably guards from he could hear – were told to take positions and watch out for intruders. Someone had apparently triggered one of the motion detectors in the forest, whether incidental or on purpose didn't seem clear.

The voice was furious; obviously outraged about the fact that someone had found them. Without being able to define why, the prisoner felt relief and anticipation as if he was waiting for something. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Whatever was going to happen, he had a feeling it would be highly amusing to watch. Even when the voices subsided and a shadow fell over him his good mood did not waver.

The slap across his cheek was driven by anger and therefore poorly executed, causing only a slight sting in his jaw. Since feigning sleep would only lead to more drastic measures he opened his eyes and found the quiet man from before hovering over him. He wasn't obscured by shadows anymore and his face was close enough to study its conspicuous appearance. The scar that had been visible earlier was unusually straight and went from his corner of his mouth over his cheek to his left ear, making him look like he was constantly smirking. And not in a good way. Dirty blond hair was geled back, pronouncing his receding hairline. Another oddity was the dark spot stretching from his left cheek to his hairline, probably a result of a combustion that had never fully healed. His eyes, however, were cold and filled with the determination of a crazy man. All in all the quiet man couldn't be older than thirty, but who was he to tell. He didn't even know his own age.

The man scrutinised him for a moment, before suddenly reaching out to grab his throat and squeeze his airway shut. Out of the corner of his eyes, the ugly man leapt up from his chair to intervene, sending it to the ground with a dull thud.

"Sir –"

"NO!" The scarred man's voice thundered through the room, causing the ugly man to stop dead in his tracks. It was the voice he'd heard barking orders; the man behind whatever was going on in this god-forsaken building.

"No," he repeated. "Enough of the small talk!" He turned to his underling, looking at him like he was the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen. "The information he holds about the fucking secret service isn't priority anymore. You failed and now I have others taking care of that who have a much higher chance of succeeding."

Looking like a beaten dog, the ugly man retreated to his place at the table. The question who his leader was talking about burnt on his tongue, but he seemed to change his mind in the last second.

The scarred man turned his attention back to his prisoner, his eyes almost glowing like coals. He pulled a vial out of his pocket and practically shoved it in the tied man's face. "Do you see this?! What do you know about this substance?"

It was a clear liquid that could easily be mistaken for water. The prisoner stared at it in fascination. The reflection of the shabby light of the room danced before his eye, like tiny stars, and he found himself unable to look away.

"You must have heard what they said about it!" the leader pressed, his voice had taken on a dangerous tone. "They found a malfunction, one very drastic anomaly and were about to bypass it. All you need to tell me is what the fuck you heard or I promise you'll wish I'd injected you a dose!"

He was without a doubt about to explode, but the prisoner was still captivated by the sparkling substance. He had seen it before; watery liquid in a vial, a syringe in his arm, the relieving dumbness in his limbs. Taking him away, to a place without pain, without suffering.

The ringing of a phone penetrated the silence. The scarred man pulled a smart phone out of his pocket and accepted the call. In a matter of seconds his face took on a dangerous shade of red as he listened to whoever was on the other end.

"Am I surrounded by incapable idiots?!" His voice echoed off the walls, and both the prisoner and ugly man shrank back in their seats.

The leader looked like he was barely able to suppress the urge to throw the phone against the nearest wall, his lips pressed into a thin line. Without another word, the scarred man pocketed his phone again and threw the vial towards the ugly man, who stood a safe distance away. It nearly slipped through his hand, leaving the catcher white as a sheet.

" _Don't_ screw up this time, I need that information. Whatever measures you find appropriate, you may use." Giving his prisoner one last look, the scarred man smiled. "We don't need him anymore afterwards."

~oOo~

Face damp with sweat, and with leaves and small branches digging into his skin, Eggsy was lying on the cold grass under the wide treetop of a beech. Beside him, Roxy peered through binoculars equipped with night vision and other features Merlin had refused to show them all, checking the time every 30 seconds. Her impatience made him nervous, although he understood it all too well.

After another few agonising minutes of this, Eggsy loosened the grip on his sniper rifle and sighed. "What are we waiting for again?"

"Merlin's signal," Roxy replied easily, without taking her eyes off the building at the bottom of the hill.

"I knew that," he defended himself. "But why isn't he giving it?" They'd been waiting for ages; something Eggsy could have easily done without considering their journey through the woods had taken hours.

Roxy shrugged. "He's our handler, so we need him to focus his attention on our mission, and our mission alone. If he's occupied otherwise, we'll wait."

At that moment, a loud noise carried over to them and both agents turned to identify the source, argument forgotten. A light at the top of the building appeared, followed by the outline of three dark figures walking quickly across the roof. Roxy had barely time to locate them through her binoculars before the sharp sound of helicopter blades gathering speed could be heard and the black mess took off.

"Shit." Within seconds, the helicopter had become undiscernible against the dark sky, and Eggsy tried to trace it in vain.

Roxy, on the other hand, had long focused back on the building. The lights on the third floor were still on, two men patrolling in front of it.

"No worry, whatever we came for is probably still here."

As if to emphasise her point, a dozen of armed people swarmed out of the side entrance, parted and started to comb through the surrounding area.

"Shit," Eggsy repeated, this time more quietly, although the men were still a safe distance away. In one fluid motion he activated his earpiece while starting to take his sniper rifle apart, Roxy following his example.

"Merlin, things are moving here, care to lend us a hand?"

"Or an eye and an ear," Roxy chirped in, already shouldering her bag. With a few efficient movements she erased all traces of their stay, despite the darkness that would naturally cover their tracks. No need to take risks.

"Merlin?"

"Just a sec," came the muffled reply over the comm, before the line went silent again.

"Damn," Eggsy swore, and, after exchanging a glance with Roxy, followed her lead back through the woods. "Any suggestions?"

"We'll have to try and sneak past them."

Eggsy was about to comment on her disagreement to act on their own just moments before, when a branch she'd pushed out of her way snapped back and he barely managed to blindly reach out to avoid getting smacked in the face. It was getting darker, and the clouds obscured what little starlight had outlined their surroundings moments before. Luckily, their pursuers were just as blind as them, although they had the advantage of using flashlights and not having to suppress any noise.

A cracking of a twig somewhere to their left, and they both stopped dead in their tracks. After a quick gesture with her hand, and slight pointing with his finger in response, both young agents climbed the first two branches of the nearest oak. They waited, breath even, until the whispers had passed and flashlights disappeared.

They continued on foot, only stopping to hide twice more, until they broke through the tree line at the back of the building. The ground and first floor had no windows, not much of an obstacle considering the equipment Merlin had packed for them. What awaited them behind the glass, however, was more of a problem.

They'd just started a hushed, yet rather heated discussion about which window was most likely unguarded, when the comm crackled to life.

"Third one from the right. It's a rather small storage room, quite a bit off the main corridor."

"Merlin, how nice of you to join us," Eggsy commented ironically, the relief in his voice indicating he wasn't truly angered. Roxy gave him a sharp look, always the more responsible one.

"Sorry," Merlin replied. "Morgana called."

Both young agents shared a concerned look, but before either could say anything, the quartermaster stopped them with a firm "Later."

They climbed the wall and opened the window in complete silence, confident of one another's abilities. The room was pitch dark, empty except for old furniture that felt dusty under their fingers as the stumbled along the wall to the door. Beyond was a deserted corridor, leading into the dark. Merlin, always a comforting voice in their ears, led them through the abandoned part of the building to where there had been light in the windows. He'd no visual though, as he liked to remind them when they moved far too carelessly, which slowed down their progress significantly.

The faint whisper of voices, abnormally loud after what felt like an eternity of nothing but silence and darkness, reached their ears, just when Eggsy was about to lose his patience. They took positions beside the door, communicating their plan of action quickly and silently , waiting for Merlin's permission.

"Go!"

~oOo~

"Yes?" Morgana said into the phone, barely controlling the impatience and annoyance in her voice. It was late; she hadn't had a full hours rest for two days and the painkillers for her ankle weren't working as well as she'd hoped. Not to mention the long video call with Merlin.

"Morgana? Here's Guinevere," the other woman greeted her, voice tight and carefully composed. They knew each other well, and Morgana's heart sank at what her friend's and protégé's tone could mean.

Guinevere, however, didn't continue, so the doctor urged, "Guin, what is it?"

"There's something that...happened while you were away. And I was the only one Tristan could reach and seemed to trust enough to confide in, but I'm not sure about whether what I'm doing is -"

"Tristan?" Morgana's heart dropped, and panic mobilised adrenaline reserves she hadn't known she still possessed after her flight a few hours ago. "Is he back from America? Did something happen?"

"No no no, he's fine," the other woman tried to soothe her, "It's not he whom I've flown to Kentucky for."

Morgana almost dropped her phone. Eyes wide, and leaning forward in her plane seat, she asked incrediously, "You did what?"

The medical wing at HQ was busy already, and two competent doctors missing didn't make things easier, especially if said doctors where supposed to be in command. If Guinevere had decided to leave, she must have had very good reasons to do so, and Morgana's thoughts raced with possibilities. Feeling slightly dizzy, she leaned forward and rested her head in her free hand. It really had been a long day.

"Believe me, it was necessary. I assume you are on your flight back to London?" She didn't wait for an answer, having already heard the slight humming of the engines. "Good, because Tristan wants to fly back in a couple of hours, and I need your help if that flight shall be worth it."


	11. Crossroads II

_A/N: As always, huge thanks to ivefoundmygoldfish(melonpanparade) for beta-reading!_

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven: Crossroads II**

Eggsy and Roxy rushed through the door, quickly taking out the three unassuming guards loitering on the other side. The room was large, walls and ceiling creating enough space to fit at least three trucks inside. But instead of vehicles, large tanks, presumably filled with liquid or gas, filled the room and obstructed their view. There was no time to stop and take it all in, as more guards alerted by the shots streamed in. The both dove for cover as bullets went flying.

"What's happening?" Merlin asked, undoubtedly hearing the turmoil.

So he still had no visual, Eggsy realised, leaving him more than a bit unsettled. He peered around the corner of the tank he'd sought cover behind, all the while listening to Roxy's status update over the comm.

"Don't hit the tanks," Merlin warned, alerted by Roxy's description. "We don't know what's in there!"

It sounded suspiciously like the warning was especially directed at him, but Eggsy didn't respond, too occupied with evaluating their options. There were three exits. Going back the way they'd come seemed like a waste of time. The other two doors looked much more promising, if the steady flow of guards barging through were any sign to go by. His thoughts were abruptly cut off as a bullet hit inches besides his head, breaking through the thick surface of the tank. He ducked back, waiting for the spray of liquid or hissing of gas escaping its confinement. Nothing happened.

Eggsy turned towards where Roxy was crouching, firing another round of bullets. "They're empty!"

"What?"

"The tanks," he yelled back over the noise. "There's nothing in them."

She nodded and readied her gun, signalling him she'd followed his line of thought. They waited for a few seconds for the assault to lessen, before moving forward and shooting without avoiding the tanks. It was a lot easier now that they didn't have to be careful anymore.

"This won't do," Eggsy muttered, crouching shoulder to shoulder beside the young Lancelot, the casing of the last tank separating them from the doors.

"I agree." Another two men went down, the number only limited by the empty magazine of Roxy's gun. She reloaded. "Let's split up?"

"Yeah," Eggsy replied.

"Be careful," Merlin added.

Eggsy chuckled. "Course, Merlin. Who do you think we are?"

A muttered 'children' could be heard from the other end of the comm, but the two agents were already splitting up and clearing their way to the exits.

Back at HQ, sitting in his chair and fingers dancing over the computer keys, Merlin sighed. Deeply. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in those two, quite the opposite in fact. But he knew it took a mission gone wrong for every young agent to understand the seriousness and risk of their job and trust the judgement of their quartermaster. And in Eggsy's case, Merlin feared that mission might put him closer to the edge of life than was good for him. That the visual feed wasn't working didn't help sooth his nerves in the slightest. The more he found out about this place, the louder the alarm bells in his mind were ringing. Something was terribly wrong. It wasn't just a warehouse, nor was it simply a subsidiary of the German institute. No, there was something more, and Merlin feared what that something might be.

The sound of gun fire had ceased slightly on Roxy's end, and Merlin shook his head to clear his thoughts. Time to concentrate. He followed her GPS dot on the digital 3D map on his computer and pulled up all the information he could access on the building before giving her directions.

"Roxy? Can you turn left next, then right, and try ascend to the next floor?"

"Yes," she answered, a bit out of breath.

His eyes followed her on the map as she carried out his orders. Merlin's directions had led her to a window with a rain pipe reaching up to the next floor, and without questioning his motives, Roxy started climbing. A pang of pride and dread settled in his stomach. She really was a fine agent. Percy would explode with pride if he could see his grown up sister, carrying James' name in honour.

The former agent's death brought up memories of another man never returned home, and Merlin quickly distracted himself by focusing back on the mission at hand. This wasn't the time. Not that there had been any yet since...since V-Day, but then again it was probably better this way. Weakness had no place in Arthur's chair, nor did regret.

 _Oh Merlin, is that old chap rubbing off on you after all?_ an all too familiar voice whispered in his ear.

"Shush," Merlin whispered back, the faintest of smiles tugging at his lips despite his best efforts, tears burning behind his eyes.

"Merlin? I'm there, what's next?"

 _Thank god._ "Well done. I need you to plug me into the computer network." Checking a few building records and plans, he added, "The floor you're on now was some sort of central station of the building. Records show all data connections led here, probably in some sort of control room before splitting to all the different rooms."

"Control room?" Roxy asked, sceptical. "What sort of place is this? There was furniture where we came in, a huge room full of chemical containments a few steps further, and I came through what looked like a blown up library and a few air sealable quarantine rooms."

Merlin's stomach tightened even more. "The file said 'trial runs' and we are trying to prevent a chemical attack, so we were expecting some sort of institute."

"Yes, but...this place really creeps me out, Merlin."

"Try focus on the mission, Lancelot. There is a reason this exact building was mentioned in the records Bedivere retrieved."

Morgana might have been able to steal a sample from the German laboratory, but they wouldn't know how useful those vials proved until she'd landed. It was important that they found out as much as possible, and as fast as possible. Time waited for no one, especially them.

"If I have access to the system, I'll be able to download the camera footage, protocols and staff files, and we can find out what's happened here and how this is all connected to Valentine and the Manhofer Institute."

Roxy nodded, and then remembered that Merlin couldn't hear her. "Okay. Lead the way."

Meanwhile, the young Galahad had ventured further into the building and thus far had avoided having to spend his last two magazines. The door had led to a long corridor which had ended in a second room with tanks, all empty. Without being targeted by bullets this time and with his tail still quite a bit behind him, he had examined them in closer detail this time. It looked like they'd been emptied in a rush, as if someone had been trying to erase any evidence of what had been inside by splashing the tanks and floor with water.

A long corridor and a few rooms further, Eggsy now stood in a staircase without windows. He hadn't yet found anything truly significant, and approaching footsteps told him to hurry.

"Merlin?" he whispered, not daring to raise his voice. "Up or down?"

"Down one floor. If the blueprints I have are correct, you should find smaller storage rooms down there."

Eggsy obeyed and ran down the stairs. The first floor was even darker and gloomier without any windows and he shivered in the cool air. Hands steady on his gun he navigated through the maze of corridors and rooms, all vacant of any furniture. He could see the faint change of colour on the damp walls where frames had once decorated the grey surface, though, just like other small traces that a once buzzing work place had left behind.

"Almost there," Merlin said. "There should be a storage space not far from you. It's got a cooling aggregate, thick fireproof doors."

"Sounds like a death trap." Eggsy remarked sarcastically.

"I was thinking more about a chemical containment."

The young agent chuckled. "Well, that too."

He found the door in question, but had to duck for cover as he heard footsteps approaching. The guards ran by, reporting and receiving heated reports over walkie-talkies. Immediately, Eggsy was reminded of his fellow agent.

"Roxy?" he whispered over the comm.

"About to grant me access to the main computer system."

Relieved, Eggsy nodded and left his hiding spot. "Good girl."

It took a bit of effort, but finally the thick, heavy door gave way to reveal the room behind. At the side of what was in said room, however, Eggsy froze and stared.

"Fuck, Merlin, do you see this?" There was glass all over the floor, littering the surface of the work benches and glistening in the cold fluorescent light from the ceiling. Parts of metal could be found between the shards, almost all covered in a dark liquid.

"I'm afraid not," Merlin commented dryly.

"There's glass smashed everywhere," Eggsy explained. A piece of glass caught his eye and he moved to pick it up. Shards crushed and crunched beneath his feet as he held it up against the light.

It wasn't just any dark liquid, no. "Merlin," Eggsy said, voice alert and tight. "There's blood here. Lots of blood."

There was a moment of unsettling silence before Merlin finally said, "I think we've got this all wrong."

"How so?"

"This isn't just a warehouse or institute."

"No? Coz it looks suspiciously like someone's been trying to hide their activities and has done a fucking good job of erasing any evidence of whatever they've stored here."

"I'm afraid the records I just accessed and the state of this laboratory show otherwise."

"Merlin..."

"It is - or was - an experimenting facility run by Valentine to test the neurotoxin he'd developed in Germany on living tissue. Whatever happened here on V-Day, I doubt anyone has left this place alive."

Living tissue. Living, breathing beings.

Horrified, Eggsy jumped back from the working bench, instantly dropping the shard. "Woah, shit. I touched that stuff, Merlin."

"I want you to retreat immediately," the quartermaster ordered.

"But," Eggsy objected, nonetheless making a run to the exit. "We haven't got what we came for yet!"

"Galahad, you will retreat now, this is an order. Lancelot will meet you in the woods."

If not for the edge to Merlin's voice, Eggsy might have disobeyed. But whatever the quartermaster had discovered in the files and data of the main computer had shaken him to the core. The thought made the young agent run even faster.

The staircase was already in sight when a noise to his right caught Eggsy's attention and he skidded to a halt. It hadn't been the familiar clicking of a gun or boots against metal, but a weak cough followed by a deep and pained groan. Instead of rushing up the stairs, he slowly moved towards the source of the noise until he stood before an open door.

"Eggsy, what are you doing?" Merlin hissed.

"There's someone there."

"Yes, and that someone probably wants to cut your throat, so will you bloody hell get out of there?!"

Eggsy ignored the warning and entered the room. It was dark, the lightbulb on the ceiling smashed and failing to fully illuminate the chair and desk in the room. He swept the room and, finding nothing out of place, lowered his gun. Just then, a reflection of light in his peripheral vision caught his eye, but before he could react, a heavy weight crashed into him.

Eggsy was tackled to the floor. "What the -"

A fist connected with his chin and he tasted blood in his mouth. Remembering his training, he deflected two more hits and threw his attacker off with a kick to the stomach. To his surprise, the man was back on his feet in an instant and charging again. Eggsy reached for his gun, but realised it had slid across the floor as he'd hit the ground.

"Eggsy!"

"Not now, Merlin!"

Readying himself, Eggsy took on his fighting stance. Hands and feet it was then. His attacker did the same and for a moment they remained like that, watching and estimating each other.

The man was tall, older than Eggsy and looking quite wrecked. Blood covered his too thin body and matted his unkempt hair, and he was taking shallow, painful sounding breaths. His jaw and posture however were set, his stance sure and his hands completely still. The sight woke something familiar, like seeing the blurred reflection of a well-known face in a passing window. On the stranger's face, confusion and indecision battled for dominance until the familiar instinct of survival made his opponent's face darken. The man leaped forward.

They fought, Eggsy clearly gaining the upper hand. The man's agility and strength despite his obvious injury was amazing, however, and showed long experience seldom found in the burly guards they commonly encountered.

With more effort than he'd anticipated Eggsy finally managed to get a grip on the other man's throat and squeeze his airway shut with his arm. His opponent struggled against his grip and succeeded to kick his feed out under him, causing them to crush to the floor.

In one fluid motion, using the memento of the fall, the man bent his arms over his head to sling a damp rope around his neck. Without time to wonder where that had come from and unable to loosen it without letting go himself, Eggsy covered the man's mouth with his free hand to speed up the process.

They struggled, neither loosening his grip and holding on tight, but Eggsy could feel the trembling in the man's hands indicating his waning strength. Stars started to dance before his eyes. The sound of Merlin's breathing in his ear and his own blood rushing through his head in a desperate attempt to provide the brain with as much oxygen as possible deafened Eggsy's ears, drowning out every rational thought.

"Eggsy!" Roxy's voice penetrated the fog.

He blinked, confused, and let go of the man's throat who gone limp at hearing Roxy's voice. Immediately, the stranger stumbled back and they both coughed as they desperately tried to suck air back into their burning lungs. Roxy rushed over to him, gun ready and aimed.

She handed him back his weapon without taking her eyes off the haggard form curled up on the floor, facing away from them. "You alright?"

"Yeah..." Eggsy rasped, voice only a whisper.

Nodding towards the wall, Roxy added, "Who's this?"

"Dunno, came out of nowhere. Doesn't look like one of them though."

Hands griping her gun tightly and careful observing the stranger's every move, Roxy took a step towards the man. If he tried to run or charge again, he'd catch a bullet in the head faster than he could see, anyway.

Doubled over on the cold floor and face still turned away from them, the man began to cough again, this time spitting blood. His hands were now shaking badly, although whether it was from their fight or prior treatment, Eggsy couldn't tell. Judging from the state of the man's clothing and whole attire, he guessed he'd been in a pretty bad shape already.

He watched as Roxy approached the still coughing stranger. Whether to calm or render him harmless, Eggsy wasn't sure.

"Yes, just let me -" She said, extending her hand. It was then that the stranger turned his head and Roxy froze mid-gesture, eyes huge and quickly filling with tears. "Oh my god."

"Roxy?"

"Oh my god," she repeated, voice so small Eggsy's barely heard her. She covered her mouth, a sob escaping her nonetheless. "This can't be..." She shook her head, first slowly, then with more force, tears now freely streaming down her face. "But-" she said, her voice breaking and falling to her knees. "- you're _dead_."

The man looked at her, blood still covering his face and dripping down his chin. Something seemed to click then, and his eyes were flooded with life, remembrance changing his features into lines so soft and living, Eggsy felt the need to weep.

Roxy flung herself at him and clawed at his clothes like a long lost child, face buried in his shoulder. The man just smiled, and stroked her hair soothingly while she whispered the same words again and again. The name that left her lips made Eggsy's jaw drop and Merlin smash his coffee cup.

"You're dead...James...you're... god, James..."

The man smiled and closed his eyes. Finally, he had a name again, and there'd be nothing able to take it from him again.

* * *

 _Review make me incredibly happy :)_


	12. Sunrise

_A/N: Go and check out ivefoundmygoldfish(melonpanparade)'s stories on AO3, she's the one making sure this isn't full of mistakes and keeps me on my toes. Without her, I'm not sure I'd survive amidst all those unfinished fics..._

 _Also, huge thanks to all those of you who keep reading, despite my (very) irregular updates!_

* * *

 **Sunrise**

Silence filled the plane, as it had two days ago when they'd been flying back to HQ. But instead of the pitch black back then, the sky outside the windows was just starting to regain colour, no doubt promising a beautiful, cloudless day ahead.

Eggsy stared out the window, chin supported by his right hand, and watched as the sky slowly changed from dark blue to purple, then to red orange and finally back to blue, this time a much lighter shade. The sun bathed the inside of the plane in warmth. A beautiful day, indeed.

Eggsy was beyond tired, and the heat from the sun didn't help. Exhaustion - both mental and physical - had his body feeling like lead, and he had trouble keeping his eyes open. His left side hurt from hauling himself and a weak body through the woods, always on guard, never stopping, never looking back. And nothing but pitch black around them. Without Merlin's guidance, they would have undoubtedly become lost in the woods.

The woods. The mysterious building.

Unable to stop himself, his eyes wandered back to the two people huddled close together on the bench on the other side of the plane. They'd both fallen asleep, clinging to each other as if afraid the other might disappear every second. A navy blue jumper that Roxy had worn just two days ago - too large on her smaller frame back then - covered the man's body and obscured what Eggsy knew was a concerning variety of bruises and cuts. And they hadn't even gone past the visible injuries. It was a miracle he hadn't passed out yet.

It seemed absurd. Impossible. A once in a lifetime occurrence. But despite its unlikeliness, a man who'd been sliced in half and died, who'd been announced dead and buried, was sitting mere meters away from Eggsy. An agent who'd been one of the first to fall in this ridiculous war, a loving husband and caring father-figure, who'd kept his promise and returned. Somehow, James Spencer had survived against all odds.

Aside from what Roxy had told him, the young Galahad didn't know much about the former Lancelot. He hadn't even known how he looked—a fact that had almost ended badly for the man, although Eggsy wasn't ashamed to admit the tables would have been turned had James not been weakened due to his imprisonment.

One thing Eggsy had known, however, which had only been confirmed by Merlin's reaction, was that James represented more than just a Kingsman agent. He was a true and dear friend, and a kindhearted and childish soul, if Roxy's stories were anything to go by. Thereby, Eggsy didn't hesitate to trust him too, although only time could tell to which extent that trust would grow.

His eyes lingered for a moment longer, taking in the sight before him. Roxy's face and posture had changed slightly and Eggsy realised he'd never seen her before. Not really. This Roxy was peaceful, relaxed and happy. The kind of happiness, of immense relief that fills one's whole being and makes one glow. It saddened him that he almost hadn't gotten the chance to see her true self, but instead lived on believing there wasn't more.

Tearing his eyes away from his best friend, Eggsy sighed softly. Of course he was happy for her and it felt beyond fantastic to actually see that good things still happened, but the small spark of envy that cursed through him could not be quenched. It seemed unfair and selfish to demand one more miracle, no matter how pure the intentions. He might have lost much, yes, but he had by far not lost the highest.

His thoughts wandered back to Merlin and his voice as Roxy had called James' name. Hope had laced his tone, so evident and open that Eggsy had felt like an intruder, like a stranger listening behind a door. But beside orders and questions about James' well-being, not a word had left the quartermaster's lips. None of the questions racing through Merlin's head had been spoken aloud, but Eggsy had heard them nonetheless.

If James was with them, if James was alive, why should he be the only one? Why should the universe be so lazy? Why should Valentine not keep him alive too. Why should he not be alive. Why should he be dead. Why.

Why, indeed?

There was no point dwelling on dreams, Eggsy scolded himself. He shook his head in an attempt to chase Merlin's voice from his thoughts and studied his watch. Not long and they would land back at HQ. Whatever would happen next, they would deal with it once they exited the plane. For now, sleep was probably the best and wisest choice. Leaning his head against the window, comfortingly warm from the sun, Eggsy closed his eyes.

~oOo~

A cool hand on his shoulder made Merlin jump and turn around. Warm, green eyes met his and scanned his face, no doubt cataloging every change since they'd last been focused on him. He could see the disapproving frown although it was well suppressed and sighed. Yes, he looked awful, and it didn't help that he hadn't slept a wink since that morning after their return. But no matter how tired he was, Merlin knew sleep wouldn't come even if he lay down and rested. Not that he had time for that anyway.

The woman gazing at him softly, however, didn't say a word. Instead, she just smiled kindly and pressed a cup of coffee into his hand. When he didn't protest but lifted it to his lips, she quickly conjured a plate from behind her back and carefully placed it on the desk.

Placing the cup down on the smooth surface with a soft clink, Merlin sighed. "Morgana..."

"Hush," Morgana interrupted him. Leaning against the desk so he'd be forced to face her, she added, "You might be our wizard, Merlin, but even magicians need to eat sometime."

"Very funny," the quartermaster replied dryly, but obliged and took a careful bite of the chicken sandwich. It was good, and he had to admit his body had been more than displeased with his eating habits lately. Not that he'd planned on starving himself, no. It was just that the simple act of eating seemed wrong right now, and had kept him from the kitchen. As if enjoying the flavour on his tongue was a sin when so much more important things needed his attention.

Morgana stayed and watched as he ate, her hand never leaving her shoulder. Only when Merlin had finished and raised his cup of coffee again did she let go and let her hand fall to her side. She didn't leave, however, but stayed leaning against his desk and smiled. Her gaze seemed to look right through him and despite feeling like a patient avoiding to face his verdict, Merlin started to relax. He'd missed her. The reassuring presence of her always cheerful but calm mood and sharp wit never failed to ground him when everyone and everything else was falling apart.

"It's good to have you back."

Morgana's smile widened and her eyes filled with warmth. "It's good to be back."

There was no need to inform her about recent discoveries since he'd already talked to her while she was still on the plane, so he steered the conversation towards safer waters. The last thing he wanted right now was for her to read his every thought while they discussed James' arrival in an hour.

"How's Guinevere?" he asked instead. "She said she didn't feel well and went home yesterday evening."

"Oh yes," Morgana answered, quickly lowering her gaze to the smooth surface of his desk. It would have made Merlin suspicious had he not suspected she was simply worried. The two of them had grown quite close over the last year. "Probably just exhausted from working 36 hours in a row. I told her to stay home for the day."

"Good." Merlin nodded in approval and continued to sip his coffee.

A comfortable silence fell between them again as Morgana watched him pull up Bedivere's and Kay's last reports from Germany. He could feel her watchful gaze over his shoulder as she read, every now and then returning her attention back to him and studying his face as if searching for some kind of slip. He was about to comment on her obvious staring when she straightened and pulled over another chair.

She let herself fall onto the soft cushion and sighed lightly. "Any news from Lamorak?"

"He arrived in Moscow a few hours ago and has established contact with the foreign office. They've already been calling in contacts and favours to try locate Percy's whereabouts."

"Any process so far?"

"Nothing worth mentioning, but his last report has been four hours ago."

"I'm sure the search will be progressing much faster if Eggsy and Roxy join in," she reassured him. Merlin didn't respond and she studied him for a second, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You will send them to Russia, won't you?"

Again, Merlin stayed silent.

Morgana just sighed, this time more audibly, and rubbed the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "There's no reason to keep them here, not when you know Lamorak needs any help he can get. From what I saw, they're physically alright, just a bit shaken up by recent events. And it's not like you can keep them from going, Merlin."

"I can try."

"Yes!" She flung her hands up in exasperation. "Yes you can, and you will lose. And all the wasted energy for what? The knowledge they are here, safe and utterly useless?"

"No," Merlin snapped, but his voice wasn't as firm as Morgana had expected. "We just got one back and I am not willing to bury yet another agent just because someone decided to throw all caution into the wind out of a heroic, irrational desire to sacrifice their life in exchange for a quite unlikely chance!"

"Is this was you think rescuing Percy is? A wild goose chase?" Morgana asked, dumbfounded. The Merlin she knew would never doubt the success of their proceeding, nor question the judgement and ability of any Kingsman agent.

Merlin halted, fingers hovering above the keys before letting them rest on his knees. "No. No, that's not what I meant," he responded, looking defeated and tired. "I'm simply afraid that Roxy, and therefore Eggsy, might take it too personally."

"They've grown more mature and reasonable than you give them credit. Have faith, Merlin, and they might just surprise you."

Morgana looked at him intently again, as if considering whether she should tell him something or not. Her eyes, albeit soft and vibrant, showed uncertainty and a hint of an emotion Merlin found himself unable to place. Was it hope? Relief? Or excitement? Except for the pity he thought he spotted, none of these made any sense considering their current situation. But before Merlin could ask, Morgana was shaking her head and, blinking a few times, turned away.

"I'll go back down to prepare for Lancelot's arrival and check in on the examination of the vials I brought with me. If all goes as planned we should have a more detailed knowledge of its components by the end of the day."

Merlin knew a dismissal when he heard one. It was obvious she didn't want to argue about their youngest agents anymore, and he was beginning to agree with her opinion anyway. Morgana was, after all, seldom wrong. "Alright, be careful."

Upon hearing the apology in Merlin's voice, Morgana turned on the doorstep to meet his gaze. "Always."

~oOo~

"Get up!"

A hand shoved him from his place on the bed to the ground. The harsh light blinded him and spiked the searing pain in his head to a completely new level. Percy groaned in pain and tried to roll on his side, away from the light and cruel voice, but was quickly reminded of his abdomen injury.

The hand was back, this time grabbing his left upper arm and pulling him roughly to his feet. He stumbled, trying to get his limbs under control so he wouldn't crash to the floor. His sight was unfocused due to the absence of his glasses, making it harder to keep upright while being dragged along.

Blurred shapes passed his vision, before it all slowed to a halt as he was shoved onto a chair. The metal was cold and the remains of his trousers did little to shield his body heat. His hands, still clam and numb from lack of use, were pressed onto the desk in front of him and quickly secured by chains, the sharp edges digging into the skin of his wrists.

Cold, hurting, and more than a bit nauseous, Percy waited. He knew the procedure and was well aware of the possibilities of torture. He had used pain to gain information before, and was well acquainted with how it felt to be on the receiving end himself. But somewhere in his fogged brain, the thought that this time might be different was taking shape and increasing his heart rate.

A door closed and Percy shivered in the cold breeze. Shortly after, a man sat across from him, without even affording him a glance. He put down various folders, a voice recorder, and several unidentifiable objects before leaning back in his chair, his cold eyes roaming derogatorily over Percy's body.

They stared at each other, neither uttering a word. The tension was by far not enough to even make Percy sweat, but he was nonetheless relieved when the man finally broke the tension. His voice was, just like his whole appearance, cold and cruel.

"We know who you've been looking for," he snarled in broken English. "And we know what it is you do. All I want to know now, is whom you do it for."

He leaned forward, hands flat on the metal surface of the table, his eyes blazing. "You will tell me how Kingsman works. You will tell me how to hack it. And you will tell me how to bring the organisation to its knees."

It was a statement, spoken with the determination all terrorists possessed. Percy didn't move an inch.

The man's mouth curved into a cruel smile. "You _will_ tell me. Eventually."

* * *

 _Yes, I put that Sherlock quote there on purpose ;D_

 _Have you grown to like Morgana as much as I do? Because I'm really enjoying writing her ^^_


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